Pokémon Darkness
by lTofSMITIA
Summary: When N suddenly returns to Unova years later with tales of unbeatable Shadow Pokemon, it's up to White to help him unite all the world's trainers against the evil called Cipher, and protect the small girl and her odd Pokemon that may be their only hope.
1. Prologue: Deal with the Devil

Pokémon Darkness

Prologue: Deal with the Devil

Greevil sighed as he stared out of his window at the peaceful sunset across the beach. Nearly five years had passed since he had last been outside. How he longed for the scent of the sea again, to walk on the piers of Gateon Port once more. But he had long since conceded the fact that he was unlikely to ever leave his dingy cell. Cipher had been demolished; not a single prominent member remained free.

As though it had happened days ago rather than years, he vividly recalled every detail of the horrible events that had transpired that day. He recalled the frantic peons asking him for orders as that dreadful meddling boy tore through his nigh-insurmountable fortress on Citadark Isle. He recalled the slight unease that had begun to settle in his own chest, and recalled brushing it away by recounting the strength of XD001 and his team of Shadow Pokémon to whomever stood nearest. He recalled his disbelief when the trainer burst into his room, and his outrage when the boy proceeded to defeat his mighty team of seven Shadow Pokémon, even the XD001. And, of course, he recalled the arrival of the International Police, who apprehended him and the other Cipher admins and threw them into these tiny cells on a far-off island.

Long ago, these memories would have made his rage boil, but after so long in captivity, he merely sighed again. He knew he was old and weak, and doubted he would have to endure this incarceration much longer. The depression that enveloped him was such that he took no notice of the three intruders until one of them spoke.

"…You are Greevil?"

The old man whirled around far too quickly and felt a sharp pain in his knees. Suppressing a wince, he attempted to look only mildly interested in the sudden appearance of the mysterious trio, who were, fittingly enough, dressed as ninjas. Were it not for their eyes, they would have been utterly identical, but the eyes of the one who had spoken were pale green, while the shadows to the left and right of him had blue and red eyes. After taking them in for a moment, Greevil smiled politely and responded.

"Why, yes, I am. And you are?"

For a second, the dark ninjas appeared as if they intended to ignore his question. Then, however, the green-eyed one, their apparent leader, spoke again.

"…We are the Shadow Triad. Our lord wishes to see you. Come."

And before the old prisoner could react, the Triad surrounded him, the red and blue eyed ones grabbing each of his arms. For a moment he attempted to throw them off, but in an instant the prison cell had dissolved, and Greevil found himself in what he recognized after a brief moment of confusion as his old room on Citadark Isle, where he had fought the boy, albeit now in ruins. He wondered vaguely whether he might be dreaming as the three ninjas ushered him forward, up to a tall, robed man with long green hair, whose back was turned.

"My lord Ghetsis," the leading ninja half whispered. "We have brought the one you wanted."

And, without waiting for a response, the Shadow Triad vanished as quickly as they had first appeared. The man they had addressed as "lord" slowly turned around. He was smiling slightly, as though rather proud of his own brilliance. Greevil immediately found it disconcerting, and knew that he should be wary of this strange man.

"Ah, Greevil, at last we meet," he said in a smooth, calming voice. "My name is Ghetsis Harmonia, and I would like to help you rebuild Cipher."


	2. Chapter 1: Midnight Grinding

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 1: Midnight Grinding

"_White, I want to talk to you about something."_

_White looked into N's face, and saw the sadness in it. He looked very much like a lost child, scared and unsure of where to go. Yet even so, there was a certain conviction about him, and he spoke with clear sincerity. She mastered the impulse to reach out and hold him and never let go. She longed to comfort him, but knew from his tone and expression that the best thing to do would be to follow him and quietly listen to what he had to say. She walked with him toward the back wall, where Zekrom had come bursting through._

_"It's about when I first met you in Accumula Town," he said in a slow, clear voice, unlike his usual rapid whisper. "I was shocked when I heard what your Pokémon was saying. I was shocked because that Pokémon said it liked you." He smiled a real, genuinely happy smile. "It said it wanted to be with you."_

_He stared off through the hole for a few moments, silently reminiscing his travels. White slowly approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He exhaled deeply and continued._

_"I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe there were Pokémon that liked people," he lamented, shaking his head. "Because, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokémon like that."_

_Tears began to well at the corners of his eyes. White suddenly found herself very near tears as well, and turned him gently to face her to brush the tears from his face. N smiled sweetly at her as he reached up and took her hand. White's heart leapt when he held onto her hand, squeezing it gently. He blinked the last tears from his eyes and started to speak again._

"_The longer my journey continued, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokémon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. That was why I needed to confirm my beliefs by battling with you. I wanted to confront you hero-to-hero. I needed that more than anything."_

_Again, he sighed deeply, and momentarily showed signs of needing to cry, but he seemed determined to finish what he had to say._

_"There's no way a person like me, someone who understands only Pokémon-" He stopped abruptly, and though not a single tear fell, his face fell into the single most miserable expression White had ever seen. Before she could recover from the sharp stab that shot through her chest at the sight of him, before she could try to comfort him in any way, he spoke in a very defeated voice._

"_No, actually… I didn't understand them, either. No way could I measure up to you, when you had met so many Pokémon and were surrounded by friends…" _

_Here, for the first time, White interrupted him. She just couldn't bear his look of misery and tone of depression any longer._

"_That's not true N! I've never known someone to understand Pokémon better than you! No one else in all of Unova, in the entire world, cares about Pokémon more than you do. Your Pokémon are really are your friends. You were just misled, tricked by Ghetsis, into thinking that no one else cares about Pokémon at all. You and I, we're living proof that people and Pokémon belong together. We belong together…" She trailed off desperately, looking closely at N's face._

_There were tears in his eyes again, but he wore a genuine smile. He stared silently into White's deep blue eyes. After a moment, he softly whispered to White, his voice trembling slightly._

"_White, you are the best human friend I've ever had. I feel… I felt just hopeless… but now you've given me… White, I…" he trailed off, unable to find the words, and embraced White tightly instead._

_If White's heart had leapt when N held her hand, it positively soared as she held N tightly back, knowing how happy she had made him. After a minute that lasted an eternity, N let go of her, and turned to the ledge. He spoke softly to her, almost cautiously._

"_White… I'm very sorry… but I need to leave this place… I need to search for my purpose… I promise we will see each other again someday, but for now… I'm really very sorry White…"_

_White felt a strong pang of disappointment at these words. She knew that was what he wanted, needed even, and she would not hold him back, though she could not pretend that she hadn't, just briefly, hoped he would stay with her. But she did her best to suppress it; she would not make him feel guilty for leaving, nor would she attempt to make him stay._

"_You go wherever you need to, N," she said, keeping her voice as steady as she could. "You just do what you need to. I know we'll meet again."_

_She knew as certainly as he did the truth in this. Relief shone across his face, though he still looked apologetic as he tossed out a __Pokéball, releasing the gigantic black Zekrom. The air crackled with electricity as Zekrom let out its fierce cry. N turned to White, looked closely at her, and squeezed her hand one more time before leaping onto Zekrom's back._

_"White!" N called out, his voice strong again. "You said you have a dream… That dream… Make it come true! Make your wonderful dream a reality, and it will become your truth! White! If anyone can, it's you! I promise you I will return the very day that I find myself! I promise, White! Well, then… Farewell, White!"_

_And with that, Zekrom sped away into the distance._

White's eyes flicked open. Her dream had been so vivid that it took her a moment to recall where she was. Without an ounce of sleepiness, she sat up on her bed, and contemplated her dream.

N… Where could N be now? A few months after he had left, Bianca had seen him on TV, being interviewed in Hoenn after calming a raging Gyarados. He had said he had been traveling the world, helping Pokémon wherever they needed it. But that had been nearly a year and a half ago, and N could have traveled anywhere in that time.

"Well, wherever he is," White muttered to herself. "He's doing what he wants most… He's helping Pokémon."

She comforted herself with assurances that N was happy, but still felt pained at his absence. In just over a month, it would have been two years since the day N left, and whenever she laid down to sleep at night she would miss him terribly. She wondered if he missed her too…

Her sadness grew too great to bear. Knowing she stood no chance of falling back to sleep, she leapt up, grabbed her bag, and ran down the stairs. After scribbling a quick note to her mom ("Gone training by Lacunosa Town be back by lunch"), she swiftly strode from the house.

Darkness still largely filled the sky; only the very eastern edge had a slight pink tint. She released her Archeops to fly her away the moment she set foot on Route 1.

"Hey Archeops, you up for some training?" she inquired. Archeops let out an exited cry and turned to allow White to climb on her back.

"Knew you would be," said White, smiling as she hopped on. "How about the Giant Chasm near Lacunosa Town?"

Archeops cawed softly to show she understood, and promptly took flight to the north. The wind whipped White's hair back as she held on tightly to her trusted Paleozoic bird Pokémon. The swift rush exhilarated White, and the wind soon blew thoughts of her dream from her mind. It was just her and Archeops, soaring carelessly through the air.

Each minute blurred into the next, as they always did when she flew, until before she knew it they had landed in Lacunosa Town. She swiftly dismounted, thanking and recalling Archeops. She proceeded quickly and quietly through the town, briefly dashed through and off of Route 13, and entered the somewhat eerie Crater Forest from an unusual side. The cold that abruptly enveloped her was clearly unnatural, though she already knew of its source.

Now that she was back on the ground, her dream crept back slowly to the forefront of her mind. She attempted to brush it aside by focusing on the legendary Pokémon she knew inhabited the nearby cave's depths. Deciding it would be best to have a specific goal in mind, she resolved to find it and try once again to capture it. She began to carefully make her way to the cave entrance.

A Golbat suddenly swooped down on her as she stepped through the tall grass. She instinctively sent out Reshiram, who immediately knew what White wanted and fended the Golbat off with a swift Extrasensory attack. A mere three strides later, she was accosted by a Swellow, which she promptly defeated with her Zebstrika's Wild Charge. This continued as she pressed on, but she barely took notice of each wild Pokémon longer than it took to identify its weakness and send out whichever of her Pokémon could utilize it. She was determined to reach the depths of the cave as quickly as possible.

In no time at all, it seemed, she had made her way into the cave. In the darkness she released Zebstrika, whose electric glow illuminated the area around them. The attacks of wild Pokémon became stronger and more frequent the deeper she descended in the cavern. Her team's strength was such that nearly everything they encountered could be felled with a single strike. Her Excadrill smashed away Sneasels and Delibirds with Brick Break and her Leavanny sliced Solrocks and Lunatones with Leaf Blade. Any Boldores were swept away with Samurott's Surf. Archeops and Zebstrika easily took care of Golbats using Rock Slide and Shock Wave. All in all, it was effortless training. White's confidence soared; surely, the legendary Pokémon stood no chance against them.

Finally, just when White was starting to fear she had taken a wrong turn, she emerged into an enclosed area of the forest that was blanketed with ice and snow. She smiled, knowing that at last she was close. With equal effort, or lack thereof, she and her Pokémon dashed through the mazelike woods. She recovered quickly from dead ends, and soon caught sight of the entrance to the cavern in which the legendary ice dragon Kyurem dwelled.

She knew it generally waited within the cave for trainers, and was therefore caught completely off guard and scared momentarily out of her wits when Kyurem burst through the cave's entrance with an unearthly scream. She leapt backwards and nearly turned to run, but abruptly regained her sense and sent out Reshiram to challenge the ice dragon. She had only just ordered Reshiram to blast it with Fusion Flare when a he was hit with a huge bolt of ice energy. Reshiram was knocked back and fell, but quickly recovered and executed his Fusion Flare attack. White opened her mouth to tell her fire dragon to switch to Dragon Pulse, but her words were drowned by the rushing noise of another Ice Burn attack. Reshiram fell back again, panting. He had already sustained severe injuries, and White doubted he could keep going after another attack. She started to recall Reshiram just as Kyurem began charging another attack, but before either could finish, a great bolt of lightning flew from the sky and struck Kyurem. It flew backwards and glared up, looking for the source of the attack. White took advantage of its momentary distraction and instead told Reshiram to blast it back with Dragon Pulse. Kyurem let out an unearthly cry of rage as the shockwave hit it. It rounded on Reshiram again, but before it could move, a huge mass of blackness enveloped in blue electricity crashed directly into it. The Bolt Strike attack was too much for Kyurem; it fell unconscious to the ground. In the next moment, Zekrom had landed next to Reshiram.

"Is that her? Did we find her?" came a small voice from Zekrom's back.

"Yes, that's her," a familiar, stronger voice rapidly spoke. "Reshiram would never listen to anyone else."

As the shock from the battle wore off, it dawned on White what Zekrom's sudden appearance must mean. She blinked, shook her head, and pinched herself, wondering whether she might be dreaming again.

"White!" shouted N as he leapt off of Zekrom. "It's very good to see you again at last, White!"


	3. Chapter 2: Reunion

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 2: Reunion

A thousand questions simultaneously formed in White's mind, among them "Why are you here?" "Who is that girl?" "Where have you been?" "What's going on?" and "How did you know I was here?" Each attempted to escape through her mouth before the others, and so after a moment of shocked silence, she stupidly spluttered "Are you real?"

N chuckled softly at her words. White thought he rather sounded as though he hadn't laughed in quite some time, and had partially forgotten how. He smiled at White as he answered.

"Yes, I'm definitely no dream, White," he half laughed, half sighed. "But it's so good to see you! Are you okay?" he added, noting her apparent lack of coherence.

He held out his arms to her, but White merely stared. Her brain seemed to have gone numb, preventing her from articulating a response. N had appeared… N had found her… N had found her _here_… N had arrived in the middle of the night and found her here… After all this time… She couldn't make sense of it. How, why, could N be right here, right now?

But after just over a second of utter shock, something slid into place in her mind, and she came crashing down back to earth. N was right here, right now; he had finally come back. She looked up at N's slightly concerned face, saw his arms still extended, and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"N! Oh I'm so glad your back N! What's going on? You must tell me everything! Where have you been? What have you been doing?" she gasped, rapidly working herself up again. "How did you even know where to find me? Oh but you arrived just in time too; if you had been a second later Reshiram would've been…" She trailed off, suddenly alarmed. "Reshiram! N, he got hurt, very badly, we need to-"

But at this, N placed a finger to her mouth.

"It is okay, White, we have potions," he whispered, smiling at her regained ability to articulate. "Claire can heal him up quickly. Right, Claire?"

For the first time, White had an unimpeded view of the source of the small voice as it slid off Zekrom's back. It was a small girl, no older than eight or nine. Her coppery-blonde hair fell in ringlets halfway down her back. Her eyes were a startling bright pink, though her left one was blackened. She wore a pink hat with a black brim and half-Pokéball logo, pale blue Capri's that had been slashed in more than one place, and a white and pink long sleeved shirt with what looked horribly like a dried blood stain on the back. She pulled several potions from her bag as she silently crossed to Reshiram. With great care, she examined Reshiram's wounds and applied potion to each, occasionally stealing nervous glances at White. Relieved that Reshiram would be okay, White looked at N again. Having noticed the girl's injuries, she realized that N looked rather worn too; the right side of his face was bruised, he had a barely scabbed cut on his right arm visible through a gash on his sleeve, and what looked unpleasantly like a bite taken out of his lower left pant leg, with a scar discernible beneath this as well. She began to interrogate about their injuries, but N spoke before she had a single word out.

"White, this is Claire," N introduced, in a tone that suggested they ought not to discuss the harsher points of their journey with the young girl. "She can be quite shy, but she is very kind and caring, and brave when it matters most. Rather like you once were, now that I think about it."

At this point, finished with Reshiram, Claire timorously made her way over too N and White. She promptly hid behind N, not quite looking at White. N tried to move out of the way but she clung to his leg. He sighed as he spoke to her.

"Claire, this is White. You've heard a lot about her. She is very friendly; I promise you have nothing to fear from her."

At this, N managed to step out of the way, and pushed Claire gently towards White. Claire looked up at White with large pink eyes. She held eye contact just long enough to mutter "Hi White" before she dashed back behind N.

N smiled down at her for a moment before turning back to White. The happiness seemed to fade from his face a little as he spoke again.

"Unfortunately, White, the reason I'm back is not such a good one," he sighed. "Horrible things have started happening far west, in Orre and Hoenn. We need to unite strong trainers to help us stop them, and you, of course, are the most important. No other trainer is as incredible as you," he finished with a smile.

The gash that had opened up in White's heart at hearing that N was merely seeking out strong trainers mended completely the instant he essentially called her the most incredible person he knew. Her glowing joy was diminished, however, as she wondered what could have happened that was so horrible that N would travel so far to try to stop it. N's saddened sigh cut off her speculations.

"I would… rather not have to tell the whole story more than once… so I hope you will forgive me for not explaining everything that's happened yet. But I won't keep you in the dark; I will just summarize everything as best I can."

He stopped, looking at her for any sign of sadness or anger. But White understood his desire to recount his entire tale as little as he could, as the memories clearly pained him. She nodded at him to continue.

"About six months ago, the Orre region fell into complete isolation. No one outside could contact anyone inside, and apparently vice versa. Anyone sent there either were attacked before they could reach the shore (as this was from Hoenn, a few miles off its coast) or simply did not return. Concerned about the Pokémon and people of the region, I set out on Zekrom, but encountered a shadowy storm and was forced to turn back.

"Not long after that, brutal trainers with strange Pokémon began to appear in Hoenn. They claimed to be a part of an organization called Cipher, and used their Pokémon, which they called "Shadow" Pokémon, to take out gym leaders and police. These Shadow Pokémon were relentlessly strong, and seemed indifferent to their own or other's pain… It was clear they had been abused… corrupted by something terrible… But it seemed there was nothing that could be done for them…

"Soon, these Shadow trainers attacked the Pokémon League, and defeated the Elite Four and the Champion. Their apparent leader declared that the region of Hoenn was under Cipher's control. I was furious at them… furious at the way they treated their Pokémon. I challenged their leader, but his Shadow Pokémon were too much for me. Defeated, I knew I had to flee, so I escaped on Zekrom before I could be tracked.

"I knew I had to stop them, but couldn't do so alone. I decided to rally other strong trainers to help defeat them. Alternating between flying on Zekrom and Altaria, a new friend I met in Hoenn, I started making my way east along the southern coast. I didn't dare try to approach Orre, instead resting on islands to the south until I reached Johto. I attempted to start gathering allies there, but, although they were yet to seize control, Cipher still had a presence in Johto, and planted the rumor that I was a dangerous terrorist. I had to flee before long. I tried again in Kanto, but the rumors eventually reached there too. I was stuck there for quite a while, and things did not at all go well. The most that can be said is that I met up with Claire there, whom I believe will be invaluable to stopping Cipher.

"As I was so far east already, I decided that the best plan would be to fly across the sea to Unova. I knew that, even if Cipher's rumors managed to reach here, people who actually knew me would be able to quash them before they grew too great. Also, I already knew of at least one person who I knew I could count on to help me."

He finally paused, smiling at White. She was both fascinated and somewhat amused by the detail of his "summary," yet still yearned for a complete explanation of his battles and travels and doubtlessly narrow escapes. She knew better than to ask, however; she could clearly see the seriousness of the situation, and knew they would have to start warning people as soon as possible.

Even as she thought this, she felt a slight twinge in her gut. Optimally, N's return would have meant days spent traveling to the far regions of Unova together, meeting new Pokémon and camping out in the wild, and, in between these trips, spending their time hanging out and training with her friends Cheren and Bianca. It would not have meant leaving home to convince Pokémon trainers to prepare for a war against an evil organization. And yet, as she thought this, she felt a surge of excitement. It really would not be so bad; it would be just like her original quest against Team Plasma so long ago, but this time, N would be on her side. In that moment, she resolved to do whatever it took to help him stop this Cipher.

"What should we do now, N? Who should we tell?" she rapidly asked after a brief silence, and began answering herself without waiting for N. "Alder and the Elite Four, obviously, and Cheren and Bianca could help. We'll definitely want to alert the gym leaders, too. I know of this one strong trainer I met in Undella Town, I'm not sure if she's still there, but it's worth checking, and that's a good start. When should we go? As soon as possible, definitely! Why are we still standing here? We've got to start now if we're going to-"

But here, N again placed a finger to her mouth.

"I'm very glad you're so willing to help, White," he whispered softly, smiling. "But everyone is probably asleep, and I think it would be best not to wake them in the middle of the night, even for this. Beside, Claire and Zekrom and I are tired. Do you think…Could we go sleep at your house tonight, and begin tomorrow?"

In the midst of her excitement at N's return and the prospect of a new quest, it had completely slipped White's mind that it was still just past four o'clock in the morning. She flushed red at her impulsiveness, feeling very foolish. N seemed to notice, for he then reassured her.

"Don't be embarrassed White; your haste and resolve are very good things. They're part of what make you such a great trainer. I wish we could start immediately too. I did, after all, go to find you in the middle of the night," he chuckled, smiling at her for the umpteenth time. "But I knew you would understand right away; I am less confident in others. So, if you do not mind, can we please go to your house to sleep?"

Coming from anyone else, White would have taken much of this, particularly the last sentence, as insulting and sarcastic. But from N, she did not doubt that every word was absolutely sincere. Feeling much less stupidly spontaneous, she agreed to return home for the night. N smiled and beamed at her.

"Oh, but there's just one thing. Zekrom has flown a long way, you see, and I'd like to give him a rest. The only problem is that Altaria isn't big enough for both Claire and me to fly on; we've already tried. Do you think Reshiram is okay to fly back?"

White's honest answer was "no," but she felt saying so would be tantamount to saying her tired Pokémon was more important than N's tired Pokémon. Archeops could fly too, obviously, but she was uncertain that she could carry both of them. As she was contemplating a kind way of saying this, she turned to look closely at Reshiram. He had certainly healed up significantly after Claire applied the potions, but White was still wary of letting him fly almost all the way across Unova after taking such brutal hits from Kyurem. White faced N and opened her mouth to say so, but Reshiram let out a determined roar. Surprised, White turned back to him.

"You think you can make it okay?" she asked him.

Reshiram gave a clearly affirmative roar. White smiled at him; she could hardly believe she had doubted his fortitude, even as concerned a trainer as she was. Reshiram was a powerful dragon; he could certainly make it back just fine.

"All right," she told N and Claire. "We're ready, let's go! I'll help you up, Claire."

Claire seemed to deliberate from a moment, but decided she didn't have much of a choice and approached White to allow her to boost her up onto Reshiram's back. She didn't once look at White, and hastily crawled to the other side of Reshiram as White climbed up. White hoped, as she could clearly tell N did, that she would be able to befriend Claire on the way home.

White glanced to the side and saw N mounting his blue phoenix-like Altaria. He nodded at her, and indicated that she lead the way. She nodded back and spoke to Reshiram.

"Take us back home, then? But don't hesitate to let me know if you get too tired," she added, her anxiety returning.

Reshiram gave an indignant cry at her excess concern, and took off into the air at once, with N's Altaria in hot pursuit. White glimpsed back at the ground, looking at Kyurem's unconscious body. She wished she had been able to capture it; it certainly would have been helpful. Just as she began to turn back, however, she saw the ice dragon stir. Suddenly, she heard its cold and eerie cry as it opened its eyes to glare up at them. The sight and sound made her shudder. Had they left just a moment later…

Fortunately, the dragon did not seem to want to give a chase. White looked away from Kyurem, and, attempting to put all thoughts of it from her mind, she turned to face the young girl beside her.


	4. Chapter 3: A Midair Chat

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 3: A Midair Chat

"So, Claire, what kinds of Pokémon do you have?"

In the light of Reshiram's bright red aura, White saw that the young girl looked nothing short of terrified at being so directly addressed. She glanced around rapidly, as if looking for some possible escape route. Finding none, she evidently realized she had no real choice but to answer White's question.

"I've got…" she began timidly, speaking in the faintest of whispers. "I've got Zweilous…"

And, still not facing White, she immediately pulled a Pokéball from her bag and released her Zweilous into her lap. White couldn't decide which surprised her more: the fact that a girl as small and quiet as Claire would have as savage a Pokémon as a Zweilous, or the fact that she had just released a Pokémon nearly as big as she was while flying through the air on the back of a dragon. Claire, however, didn't seem to think anything of it. She absentmindedly stroked each of Zweilous's heads, visibly calming down. After a few minutes in which White decided to say nothing and let her calm herself, Claire turned around to face White's direction. As she stared at her Zweilous, both of the dragon's heads glared intently at White, its expressions unfathomable. Claire glanced momentarily up at White, but promptly returned her gaze to her Zweilous. White took this as an indication to speak again.

"Wow, a Zweilous! How'd you catch one, Claire? I thought they were only found wild in Unova. Is it a boy or girl?" White bit her lip to prevent herself bombarding Claire with any more questions, feeling that this would frighten her away again. It was several more seconds before Claire spoke, staring intently at the small two-headed dragon in her lap.

"She's… a girl," Claire muttered the slightest bit more loudly. "And… I got her… from the Professor… in Pallet Town… in Kanto… m-my hometown... He got her to study… and gave her to me as my starter… She was a Deino then…"

White couldn't help but be thoroughly impressed with this timid girl. The first Pokémon she had ever gotten was a savage Deino, and yet here she sat, petting her as though she were a Lilipup. Voicing this praise, she decided, would no doubt be a good way to boost her confidence.

"That's very remarkable, Claire. Not many seasoned trainers can befriend a Deino; they're just naturally bitter and resentful towards humans. But your first Pokémon friend ever was one, and now you two clearly get along perfectly! You're going to be a great trainer, Claire, I can tell."

But far from making her more relaxed and open to conversation, this commendation seemed to only mortify Claire. She flushed furiously red and spun back around where she sat without a word. White grimaced at her counterproductivity in allaying Claire's nerves, and silently wondered what she could say to undo the damage. Before she had even decided where to begin, however, Claire turned back, and, still staring at the dragon she was petting in her lap, spoke again.

"Th-thank you White. You're… nice…"

She trailed off and fell silent again, but, as she did not turn away from White again, White decided she could safely resume the conversation.

"It's true, Claire, I mean it," she assured her, causing her to blush again. "So what other Pokémon do you have? Who was the first Pokémon you ever caught?"

As White had come to expect, Claire took a few seconds to respond:

"The first Pokémon I _caught,_" she began, with notable emphasis on the word. "…was Geodude. But he's a Graveler now…" she murmured, and, to White's only slight surprise, recalled Zweilous and sent out Graveler onto Reshiram.

In an instant, White was thrown backwards, nearly toppling off of Reshiram. Before she could fall, though, she was crushed from all sides, and dragged back to her initial spot. After a moment of shock recovery, she realized that Claire's Graveler was squeezing the life out of her.

"No! Graveler, stop! This is no place to be rolling around!" Claire's voice was entirely unlike the tone she assumed when addressing humans. It was stern, admonishing, even powerful. Immediately, her Graveler's crushing hug ended, and he slowly walked back to Claire's lap, looking ashamed. His trainer looked at him firmly for a moment before her expression softened.

"I know you like meeting new people, Grav, but you could have knocked her off. If you want to stay out here you need to be more careful. Can you do that for me?"

Her Graveler looked deeply sorry as he slowly nodded. Claire smiled contentedly and patted him gently on the head. She glanced back up and seemed momentarily startled to find White sitting there. She then blushed, if possible, more deeply than ever, and returned to patting Graveler. After watching them for a moment, White burst out laughing.

"Wow… You're Graveler is certainly friendly!" she gasped through her laughter. "Is he like this to everyone?"

Claire, staring white-faced and horrified at Graveler, gave a barely perceptible nod. Realizing she was humiliating the young trainer, White quickly desisted her chortling and began encouraging her again.

"Claire, you've got no reason to be embarrassed at all! You've just shown that you're a both responsible and caring trainer. You should be proud of that! The way you can make an impression without coming across as unduly angry, that's very important in a trainer, and rare in one as young as you. I can really see the bond you have with your Pokémon."

White looked closely at Claire as she spoke, trying to detect hints of her mood. Color seemed to flow back into her cheeks as White spoke, continuing past her normal hue and settling on a slight shade of vermilion. After well over a full minute of silence, Claire slowly whispered at her Graveler.

"I… I'm not that good… I've… I've let them get… get hurt bad before…" She fell silent, and, after a moment of wordless recollection in which her pale pallor returned, she glanced up at White for the longest time yet, her eyes just barely swimming with tears, tacitly begging White for reassurance, which White wasted no time in supplying.

"Claire, it's just not realistic to expect your Pokémon to never sustain an injury. It's not even practical to expect them to never faint. That doesn't mean you're a bad trainer, it just means you're a trainer. If the fight was friendly, they were never in any real danger. If it was more serious, well, the fact that your Pokémon are willing risk themselves to protect you proves that you are a good trainer."

Claire slowly looked back at Graveler again, but in a caring way that seemed to ask for affirmation of White's words, not the shy way she had previously used to simply avoid looking at White. Graveler gazed back at her, his concern patent across his face, giving her the confirmation she sought. Claire gently wiped the few tears she had betrayed off of his head, whispered a soft thank you to him, and returned her eyes to White, teary-eyed yet smiling. As they held eye contact for a moment, some unspoken understanding seemed to pass between them.

"Y-you're right, White… Thank you s-so much," she shakily whispered.

"It's no problem, Claire," White happily responded, very glad that she had connected with the small girl. "I'm here for you."

A few seconds passed without another word, as White deliberated on how to move their conversation forward, but it was Claire who broke the silence.

"I… I also have Seel… She's the newest member of the team…" she said in a whisper much louder and more confident than any she had yet employed. As she spoke, she patted Graveler once more and withdrew him, and sent out an unusually small Seel with a scar across the left side of her face where her fur had not regrown. She let out a fierce bark and glared at White with malice startling for one her size, though she did not move from Claire's lap. White watched her apprehensively, wondering whether she too might attack, albeit in a less friendly manner. Claire seemed to realize what she was thinking, for she stroked Seel absentmindedly and spoke to her soothingly.

"Don't worry, Seel, she's a friend. N trusts her, and… so do I. We can trust her," she assured her. Seel regarded White for a moment before grunting and putting her head down, still stealing glances at the stranger. Claire sighed in an amused yet affectionate sort of way before looking up at White.

"S-sorry about Seel; she's not very trusting of people... I just saved her from… from being attacked… so she trusts me…" she explained slowly. "B-but I'm sure she'll like you when she gets to know you…"

White noticed that she seemed hesitant to elaborate on her past or how she had met her Pokémon, and opted not to press for further information, instead choosing to move on to her next Pokémon.

"So, is that all of your team, or do you have some more Pokémon?" she asked.

Claire said nothing for just a moment, seeming to come to a decision before she answered.

"Just… just one more…" she whispered very softly. "I've got… I've got Februa…"

And with that, she recalled Seel, who was still glaring at White, and sent out a Pokémon White had never seen or even heard of before. It looked like a pearly white and very short Serperior with deep magenta eyes and markings that, White noticed with a start, were the exact color of Claire's eyes. Its face was thin and pointed, its body long and narrow, roughly the length of Claire's arm. It seemed to radiate a pale white aura into the night, distinct from Reshiram's burning red glow. It did not land in Claire's lap, as the others did, but floated about foot off of Reshiram's back. For a moment it seemed that it would be left behind by the soaring dragon, but Claire quickly grabbed hold of it, petting its smooth head.

"This… This is Februa…" Claire informed White, who was watching the strange and unfamiliar Pokémon with awe. "I found him as an egg… And cared for him until he hatched… No one knew what he was exactly, but… but the Professor thought he seemed like a Pokémon from an old legend called Februa… and he responded to the name, so we decided to use it… I was on my way to some lady who specializes in legends when…"

But here she trailed off, apparently unable to go on with the story. White, mesmerized by the unique Pokémon, had to fight back the urge to ask for more information. She wanted to know where she had gotten the egg that hatched into the curious Ekans-like creature, what the Pokémon Professor had theorized about it, what legends surrounded it, and what sort of powers it had shown. As it was obviously a Legendary Pokémon, it was doubtlessly stronger than its size would suggest. However, she felt it would be rather tactless to ask Claire to recount these visibly painful memories. Instead she watched the Februa, who seemed to be looking around into the night with apprehension. He glanced at White, saw that she was looking at him, and, so like his trainer, quickly stared down at Claire's feet. White was spared having to suppress her desire for information when Claire began to speak again.

"The… the Professor thinks he's psychic/dragon type… And… it seems that TMs don't work on him… he… The Professor thinks he can't learn many moves as he is… And that that means he'll evolve… All he, I mean, all Februa knows is Confusion and Tackle… And he sometimes gets scared and runs away… The Professor tried to get other people to train him but they couldn't… No one seemed to want him once they realized those things…" she trailed off, looking fondly at Februa, and said nothing for a minute.

"But I'm not complaining about him," she went on, suddenly sounding strong and resolute, talking more to herself than to White. "He's very sweet, just shy, and he can be brave when he needs to be. I don't care if he doesn't have legendary strength; he's my Pokémon, and I love him. I wouldn't trade him for anything."

White's admiration for Claire increased tenfold as she spoke. She could easily see how she and N got along so well; there were among the few trainers who really, truly considered their Pokémon to be their friends. They didn't care how weak or strong, or ugly or pretty, or bitter or cheery they were: they were their friends, simple as that.

"Claire," she began, her voice ringing with respect. "I know I've already said it, but you are one of the greatest trainers I know. I'm not talking about mighty strength or quick wit; those will come with time, though I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that you're ahead of most trainers your age in those regards. No, I'm talking about the fact that the only trainer I know who loves and understands Pokémon nearly as much as you is N, and those are things that don't come with time. Seriously, you're going to be one of the best in the world, I promise you."

Claire's pale face glowed crimson again, but for the first time she looked more happy than embarrassed. She seemed to be trying to find the right words to say, but was on the verge of speaking when Reshiram abruptly dived down. White gave a start and looked down to see the small village of Nuvema steadily growing larger as they descended.

With a soft thud, Reshiram landed in front of White's house. White thanked him with a smile before she recalled him to allow him well-deserved rest. She glanced to the side and saw N's Altaria landing gently. N kindly rubbed Altaria's head and returned her to her Pokéball. White hurried over to him, with Claire and Februa following closely at her heels.

"How are you, White? Claire?" he greeted them, smiling. Claire's close following of White made it obvious that she was no longer as fearful around her as she had been before the flight to Nuvema Town. He stooped down to hug Claire, then stood and embraced White likewise. At that exact moment, however, the door to White's house burst open and White's mother ran up to them, her expression flickering between relief, anger, amusement, and surprise.

"White! Oh Arceus, I'm glad you're okay! Where have you been? I was worried sick when I got up and you had vanished. It just seemed so unlike you to not leave a note or anything. Who are these people? Friends of yours? But tell me, where have you been?"

She spoke so rapidly, in a manner that recalled White's own when she sought information, that White had no chance to answer her questions until she paused here for breath. White countered with her own barrage of questions.

"What are you talking about? You didn't get the note I left? Why are you even up yet? It's so early, isn't it? Wait, what time is it any way? But that doesn't matter; the point is that I definitely left a note. I don't know what could have-"

"Um, White?" N called out, cutting across her. White spun around to face him and saw that he looked nervous and apologetic. "I'm very sorry… I never mentioned how I found you, but I went into your house and found this note, and I… Well, I took it…" With a look of greatest regret, he withdrew from his pocket a folded piece of paper and flattened it out.

"I'm so sorry, White, I just didn't think… I thought I ought to have it to reference… I never considered…" He trailed off, and solemnly faced White's mom. "I should really apologize to you, Mrs. Shirkuro; I didn't mean to cause you such grief. I shouldn't have taken White's note, and I'm very sorry."

White's mother scrutinized him for a moment before responding.

"It's quite all right, N. You _are_ N, right?" When N nodded, looking slightly confused, she pressed on, apparently satisfied that her daughter was safe and an explanation had been given for her unannounced absence. "Ah, well it's nice to finally meet you, N. White's told me all about you, you and your long soft green hair, she always said, so it wasn't too hard to tell."

White blushed a vibrant crimson to rival Claire's deepest shade. N looked curiously at White, evidently unsure what to make of this information. She quickly decided to end the conversation before her mother could humiliate her any further.

"Um, Mom?" she said rather pointedly. "We're all rather sleepy, especially N and Claire. They've come a long way, and they have nowhere to stay. It's fine if they stay here with us, right? At least for the night?"

"Oh, of course, it's no problem at all," she replied airily. "But I expect a full explanation of everything once you're all rested tomorrow, okay? Now," she went on, not waiting for a reply. "Claire, is it? Well dear, you can take the extra bed in White's room, all right?" Claire jumped and hid behind White at suddenly being spoken to, but White's mother merely looked at her curiously for a moment before addressing N. "And you can take my bed for tonight. Once I'm awake it's impossible for me to get back to sleep, so there's no reason why you shouldn't have it. Well, why are we all still outside?" she concluded, leading them into the house.

"My room's through that door, N," she called, gesturing to a door to the left. "And White will show you to her room, Claire. Goodnight everyone!"

She hugged White, who returned it with a quick "goodnight mom" before turning to N. N smiled his kind smile at her as he said goodnight to her and Claire, and, his weariness finally showing, turned to enter White's mom's room.

"This way, Claire," White said softly as she led the young girl up the stairs to her room. She threw back blankets on the spare bed and threw one of her own pillows to it. "You can sleep here. Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Th-thank you, White," she said in a faint whisper.

White suddenly realized that Februa was still floating close beside Claire. Claire, however, made no move to recall her as she climbed into the bed. The dimly glowing Ekans-shaped Pokémon landed and curled up beside her pillow. The pure innocence of the scene touched White's heart. She placed a hand on the side of Claire's face and smiled at her.

"Goodnight, Claire," she said, feeling like this girl she had met mere hours ago had become her little sister. "And goodnight, Februa," she added, gently patting him, who flinched nervously but quickly settled down.

"Goodnight, White," Claire whispered, her eyes barely open. White smiled again and flicked off the light, walked over to her own bed and collapsed onto it. About a minute later, when sleep had almost completely stolen over her, Claire called out in the darkness.

"White?"

"Yes, Claire?"

A brief pause, then: "I think you're a great trainer."

White's heart seemed to melt. She didn't think she had ever received a compliment so plainly sincere.

"Thank you, Claire," she happily replied.

And, in that moment, sleep overtook her at last.


	5. Chapter 4: Bitter Rivalry

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 4: Bitter Rivalry

Claire awoke with Februa on a strangely soft bed in a frighteningly unfamiliar room. Fear coursed through her, jerking her awake like icy water. She clutched Februa tightly, who seemed quite as terrified as she was, as she felt a scream escape her throat. Her eyes glanced frantically from the alien walls to the unrecognized television to the strange, unkempt bed…

But as her eyes fell upon the bed, something stirred in her terrified mind: White, her new friend White, slept there. And then, quite abruptly, memory after memory of the past few days cascaded back to her. She was safe in her new friend's house, safe in Unova, safe away from the bad Cipher people who had tried to hurt her and her Pokémon. Sweet, quenching relief flooded her, dousing her burning panic. She loosened her grip on Februa as they both calmed and relaxed.

At that moment, however, Claire heard her name called out in White's anxious voice, accompanied by the rapid thumping of footsteps from the stairway. Within a second, White was kneeling at Claire's bedside with a worried, caring, expression.

"Are you all right, Claire?" she asking concernedly. "Did you have a nightmare? We heard you scream! What is it?"

Before Claire could find the words to explain herself without sounding stupid and panicky, N appeared behind White. While White's face expressed due concern for a child scared by a bad dream, N's showed nothing short of sheer terror, as though he had experienced the nightmare himself. Claire felt a rush of understanding and pity for her green-haired friend. She knew the source of his fear; for such a long time, they had lived in constant danger of being discovered and attacked. Hearing someone waking up screaming could easily have meant that they were about to lose their only human friend, and it was clear that the reflexes that living in this state had induced had lessened no more for N than it had for her.

"I'm okay, guys," she whispered, more to N than to White. "I just… forgot where I was… for a second… But everything's fine now."

White smiled in a sisterly sort of way and gave Claire a quick but affectionate hug, and N let out a great sigh of relief as he helped Claire out of bed.

"Come on Claire, we're just about to eat lunch!" White called as she rushed back down the stairs. Claire laughed softly, slipped her shoes back on, and followed White to the kitchen, where her mother was pouring some sort of soup into four bowls. She beamed as the three trainers entered.

"Ah, good afternoon, Claire! Did you know it's already two-thirty?" she greeted, chuckling as Claire leapt behind N. "Are you hungry? I hope you like potato soup?"

N smiled at Claire and squeezed her hand before answering Mrs. Shirkuro's question.

"Well, we cannot stay for very long; we'll have to leave as soon as lunch is over. But we'll be fine with anything to eat, as long as it has no meat. We're both vegetarians, you see."

Mrs. Shirkuro's smile faded slightly as N said this, followed by a resounding _smack_ as White struck her own head.

"Oh Arceus, I'm so stupid!" she cried. "I _knew_ you were, N, and of course Claire is! I'm so sorry I didn't tell you Mom, it just slipped my mind! Arceus, I'm stupid!"

She paused to draw breath, allowing N to cut across her.

"You are not stupid, White! It's my fault she didn't know; I ought to have told her. I only thought you must have mentioned it, since she said you told her all about me, but that doesn't mean it was your responsibility to do so. It is my fault, not yours."

Here, however, Mrs. Shirkuro gasped and interrupted.

"Oh no, I remember now! White did tell me once! I'm very sorry N, I completely forgot. It's my fault, really. I'll just make more soup without any meat. Very sorry, N-"

"No, Mom!" White interjected. "It's my fault, really. I should have reminded you, since I only mentioned it once, like months ago. There's no way you could've remembered. It's my fault, so I'll make the soup. I-"

"But none of that matters," N interpolated. "I still should have told you, so it's my fault. The soup is for me anyway, so I should just make it."

With a sudden rush of boldness, Claire then whispered to the floor "I think it's not really anyone's fault. And if you all make it it'll go faster." She then glanced up at them, who were all regarding her with mild surprise, and promptly flushed red and began petting Februa, who was floating nervously at her heels.

"She, as usual, has a good point," N broke the silence. "Shall we all prepare it, then?"

As White and Mrs. Shirkuro agreed, Claire crept out of the house, both to escape Mrs. Shirkuro's imminent interrogation and to obtain much-desired fresh air. She deeply inhaled the crisp autumn air and relished the feeling of sunlight on her skin as she casually explored the tiny village and the nearby route, adventuring as far as the neighboring Accumula Town, which was deserted aside from a dark-haired boy about her age and a tall blonde lady dressed in black. She began ambling over to the Pokémon Center, with Februa following closely, until-

"Are you okay, miss? Not lost, are you?" said the tall, blonde lady, suddenly beside Claire. Although her words were kind, the unexpectedness of her approach coupled with her unfamiliarity made Claire panic. With a small squeak of fear, she scooped Februa up in her arms and dashed back to Route 1. Once halfway back to Nuvema, she stopped to catch her breath, which she had lost more due to fear than exhaustion. Februa looked up at her, wide-eyed and fearful. Claire smiled in spite of herself, and forced herself to calm down for her Pokémon.

"It's okay now, Februa. See, she's not following us? I think she didn't mean any harm anyway, I just-"

"Panicked?" came a sneering voice from behind her. "Yes, you do tend to do that. And you still talk to your Pokémon as though they were human."

Claire swung around, utterly perplexed at the striking familiarity of the voice, so far away from Kanto. It had followed her all across Kanto, but had it really managed to pursue her all the way to Unova in just a day, when no one should even have known they were no longer in Kanto yet? Spinning around, she saw the pale, dark-haired, and cold blue-eyed boy she had glimpsed in Accumula Town standing with a slight smirk on his face, and mentally slapped herself for not immediately recognizing him.

"Triton!" she shouted, attempting to sound neither frightened nor startled. "Wh-what are you… H-how did you get here?"

"Quite nice to see you again as well, Claire," Triton impassively said. "But I got here the same way you did; I flew with a friend. But I am surprised you were so easily traceable. You went to the most obvious place possible. A few words of caution, Claire: don't go back to the house of your one obvious ally in the entire country."

"Sh-shut up, Triton!" Claire boldly shouted, incensed. "J-just tell me how you knew I was here!"

"But I already have, Claire," Triton muttered with maddening superiority. "You were just so easy to track. It was a bad decision on your part to come here."

"Y-you be quite, Triton!" Claire yelled, her nerves fading as anger and resentment at her long-time adversary built up.

"Oh, but it wasn't your decision at all, was it? It was that fool N's. Childish, my father always called him, and I quite agree. He is nothing but-"

"Shut up now! I-if you don't shut up, Triton, I… I'll just have to make you!"

"Make me? You, make me? I am trying to help you, Claire. I am telling you what you need to do better. But very well, Claire; lets just see if you can make me!"

Triton moved so quickly that few other than Claire could have reacted in time. In a split second, Triton sent out his Machoke. In the same moment, Claire leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding the Machoke's Low Kick, as she ordered Februa, who had floated forward swiftly from behind Claire, to attack.

"Confusion, Februa!"

The force of the hit knocked Machoke a few feet back, but he merely shook his head and charged forward again.

"Use Revenge, Machoke!"

The superpower Pokémon's strengthened blow threw Februa high into the air. Stopping himself a few feet from the ground, he let out a shriek and blasted Machoke back with another Confusion. Machoke crashed flat on his back and did not stir.

"Bah! Good attempt, Machoke. Now- go Magikarp!"

Claire merely blinked, and glanced confusedly at Februa as the fish Pokémon flopped pathetically and glanced nervously at Februa.

"Magikarp? Wh-what's he going to do with a Magikarp?"

"Ah ha!" Triton triumphantly cackled. "Go Sneasel! Ice Shard!"

The Sneasel dashed forward and launched the jagged piece of ice before Claire had even completely looked up. It pierced Februa's stomach, and he cried out and fell to the ground.

"F-Februa! Oh y-you'll regret that Triton! Graveler, go!"

"Your Graveler? Were you even paying attention to Sneasel's last attack? Another Ice Shard, Sneasel!"

"I-I was, Triton, and noticed th-that it was a physical attack! Counter it with Rock Smash, Grav!"

Graveler charged forward, barely flinching as he was pelted the freezing shards, and delivered a shattering punch to the side of Sneasel's face, knocking her out cold in one blow.

"Heh, fool," Triton quietly chortled. "You did well Sneasel, return. Now, go Gyarados!"

Claire's eyes widened in fear and awe as the atrocious Pokémon let out a huge roar and glared down Graveler. She and Graveler both took a step backwards.

"Now your Graveler stands no chance! I have one of the most powerful water-type Pokémon there is! So sorry, Claire, but I am afraid that the game is won," Triton mocked. After a few moments of thought, however, Claire smiled widely.

"Indeed you do, Triton," she quietly simpered. "Now, what attack shall you have her use?"

Triton's arrogant grin melted away immediately. "I… I'll… Gyarados! Use…"

"You didn't think this through, did you?" Claire muttered. "She still has no water-type moves, and now she's weak to _Rock Blast_."

Noticing the command, Graveler sent several sharp rocks flying at Gyarados, who collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, as they pierced its scaly flesh.

"I will not be made a fool of, Claire! Time for plan B- use Flail, Gyarados!"

Claire rather thought that Gyarados would simply be unable to move, and was therefore quite shocked as she suddenly thrashed and flailed violently, smacking Graveler powerfully across the face with her tail. Graveler stumbled around briefly, weakly attempted to fire more jagged stones, and promptly fell unconscious.

"G-Graveler! That's it… Zweilous! Finish her off with Dragon Breath!"

Zweilous let out an enraged cry as she leapt into the fray and spat her draconic shockwave, knocking the Gyarados out before she could make another move. Triton let out an incomprehensible grunt of resentment and sent out Staravia.

"Use Dragon Breath again, Zwei!"

"Oh, I don't think so. This is not over yet. Double Team, Staravia!"

As Zweilous inhaled, the Staravia multiplied into three, which flew in all directions. Zweilous quickly exhaled at nearest one, but the attack merely traveled through the illusion. Before she could draw breath again, the three Staravias became five.

"Zwei, use two Dragon Breath attacks at two different Staravias!"

As Claire instructed, Zweilous blew energy from each of her mouths at two Staravias, but neither shot made contact, and in the next moment she was surrounded seven Staravias.

"You may as well give up now, Claire. Don't expect to get a hit in. Now, Wing Attack, Staravia!"

Each Starling Pokémon copy struck out with its wings simultaneously while circling the dark dragon, making the true assailant indistinguishable from the illusions.

"Same technique, but use Bite, Zwei!"

Zweilous lashed out with two Bites, but again to no avail, and was quickly smacked with the wings of nine Staravias. As Claire's confidence faded, she was hit with a sudden brainwave.

"Zwei, close your eyes! Navigate with your nose and ears, like you had to as a Deino! Then Bite again!"

Zweilous instantly closed her four dark fuchsia eyes and sniffed the air intently. The moment the Staravias lunged in for another attack, she snapped out with both of her mouths, closing her teeth on the real target and throwing her to the ground, where she did not stir.

"What? No! That was unfair!" Triton yelled in outrage, recalling his unconscious Staravia. "That was a cheap trick and you know it, Claire!"

"Cheap? Trick? Not at all, Triton, I just outsmarted you. I suggest you deal with it," Claire said, smiling sweetly. Triton seemed on the verge of shouting again, but merely made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat.

"Hmmph. Very well then, Claire, you win for now. But you had better start training more if you want to stand a chance against me next time. And learn to be less obviously trackable, before someone more dangerous follows you. And with that, I leave you."

Triton spun around and dignifiedly marched back to Accumula. Claire smiled down at Zweilous with pride.

"You did marvelously, Zwei! We need to get back to the house to get you and Grav and Februa healed up. I'm sure everyone is probably wondering where we are. I bet-"

"No kidding, Claire," came an amused voice from behind her. Claire leapt several feet into the air and wheeled around to see White smirking at her. "We fairly freaked out when we saw you weren't anywhere in Nuvema. I started going to Accumula to look for you, but there you were in the middle of Route 1, fighting that guy. That was some seriously impressive strategy, Claire. Very outside the box."

"I… You… Th-thank you… I…" Claire spluttered, relatively unnerved at having been watched by White for so long and been completely unaware of it.

"Come on, lunch has been ready for a while, and I'm sure you're all hungry after that battle," White laughed, taking Claire's hand. "And my mom can heal your Pokémon up pretty quick."

Claire, deciding she was likely too tired to be made to walk, recalled Zweilous and silently followed White back to the house. Her insides burned with guilt at having caused N and White to worry so thoughtlessly. True, she had often wondered off on her own while with N, but she had never gone beyond the view of wherever they happened to be staying without informing N first. She had allowed her curiosity and natural instinct to explore take over, and had frightened her friends by vanishing. She would never do so again, and she would have to make it up somehow, and-

"So I don't suppose you want to tell me who that guy was, and how he knows you, or why you're so much bolder to him than just about anyone else?"

Claire started as White's words jolted her out of her thoughts. It had completely slipped her mind that White was largely clueless as to her and N's adventures in Kanto. She contemplated where she could possibly begin explaining it all.

"If you don't want to tell me about it, or don't really know how, it's totally fine," White interjected, again disrupting Claire's thoughts. "N can tell me if you'd rather that. Or he can not, if you'd just rather me not know yet."

But she bit her lip slightly as she finished, and Claire could tell, with a rush of understanding, that she strongly disliked being kept ignorant of nearly everything that had happened to her and N.

"No…" Claire slowly began. "He's… He's someone I met in Kanto… a little before I met N. I th-think he's from Sinnoh… But I'm not sure… Anyway, his name is T-Triton, a-and he keeps showing up wherever I am, and… and challenging me to battles and s-stuff. I d-don't really know much about him… like wh-what he wants, and wh-why he keeps following me… and… yeah…"

She found herself out of words, but was spared the need of them by her and White's arrival at the house. Claire went through the door White held open first, but let out a frightened squeak and dashed behind White at the sight of a completely unfamiliar blonde girl with a green hat, and a strange new black-haired boy with glasses.

"Told you she was shy," White chuckled. "So guys, this is Claire. She's a remarkable trainer, really, you just got to get to know her. Claire, this is Cheren, and this is Bianca" she introduced, indicating first the black-haired boy and then the blonde girl. Claire nervously glanced up at each in turn before reverting her gaze to the floor.

"Hi there, Claire!" Bianca cheerily exclaimed as she walked over to Claire. Claire steeled her nerves to keep from fleeing, and forced herself to look into Bianca's face and murmur a greeting.

"It's okay Claire; you don't need to be shy!" Bianca laughed. At this, however, Cheren cleared his throat.

"Bianca…" he began exasperatedly. "She clearly does not want to talk right now. Why don't you leave her alone?"

"Well you're never going to make friends like that, Cheren!" Bianca called, utterly undeterred. "You want some soup now, Claire?"

Claire mastered her panicking instinct and nodded at Bianca, slowly walking by her to the kitchen to accept a bowl from Mrs. Shirkuro. Very slowly, and very aware of the five pairs of eyes on her, she sat at the table beside N, whom, she noticed, was smiling at her with pride. She too smiled slightly and blushed as she took a tiny sip of soup.

"So, who were you battling, Claire?" Mrs. Shirkuro said after a few moments, breaking the silence. "White just said she'd found you battling on Route 1. Was it someone you knew? Oh, but you must need you Pokémon healed! Here, let me see them?"

Claire slowly reached into her bag and pulled out her Pokéballs, handing them to Mrs. Shirkuro without looking at her.

"Ah, thank you! I'll just let them… there they are! Fully refreshed! Now where was I? Ah yes! So who were you fighting back on Route 1?"

Claire barely gave any indication that she had heard Mrs. Shirkuro as she took her Pokémon back and continued to eat her lunch. Just as she began to put words together, however, White opted to answer for her.

"It was some guy she met in Kanto. Triton's his name. Apparently he-"

But her words were covered by N, who abruptly gagged and coughed on his soup. White, who was sitting on his other side, smacked him on the back. When he had regained his breath, he turned to Claire.

"Triton? But- how? How could he have known you were here? What did he say?" he spluttered, visibly frightened. Claire spoke directly to him after a few moments, trying as hard as she could to ignore everyone else in the room.

"He… He said that he had flown here with a friend… and that w-we were easy to t-track… H-he said it was obvious f-for us to come here…"

N stood up so quickly he nearly knocked his chair over. His expression was one of sheer panic, and it scared Claire very badly.

"It is time for us to leave. We can't wait any longer now," he said, rapidly and quietly. "We have to go to the Pokémon League first. Will you come with us?" he asked, turning to Cheren and Bianca.

"I will," Cheren simply stated, gazing unfathomably at N.

"Of- of course!" Bianca stammered. "But White, N, Claire, what's going on? Does this mean Cipher is coming, or something like that?"

"I know just about as much as you do, Bianca," White muttered, somewhat disgruntled. "So N, what _does_ this mean? Is Cipher probably on the way, or what?"

"There isn't time to explain right now, White," N said, looking very apologetic. "But I think they might be. We need to make contact with the Pokémon League as soon as possible. Is everyone ready to go?"

Claire's mind felt numb with panic, but she nodded unfeelingly, no longer hungry and with a great desire to feel like she was making some sort of progress. White, Cheren, and Bianca mimicked her action, but N seemed not to notice, staring off with an expression of great fear uncannily similar to Claire's. White seemed to take this as an indication to take charge.

"All right, well let's set out then! Bianca, none of your Pokémon can Fly, so you can ride Reshiram with me, while Claire rides Zekrom with N, and Cheren rides Unfezant. We'll go straight to the League, no stops, and then we'll plan from there. Come on!" she called, running for the front door. Claire got up and pursued her first, and quickly spoke to her in the few seconds before anyone else had gone outside.

"W-White, I w-want to ride with you. I-is that okay?" she whispered.

White looked somewhat surprised, but Mrs. Shirkuro, N, Cheren, and Bianca exited the house before she could answer.

"Do you know when you'll be coming back, White?" Mrs. Shirkuro asked solemnly, as though she already knew the answer.

"I… am afraid I don't, Mom," White responded, equally solemn. "Goodbye, Mom, I love you," she finished, hugging her mother.

"I love you too, White," her mother echoed, hugging her daughter back. "I know you'll be okay. You have all your Pokémon, and I doubt N will let anything hurt you," she added with a wink.

"M-Mom!" White gasped, glancing embarrassedly at N, who seemed not to have heard. Claire too looked confusedly at N, not understanding what Mrs. Shirkuro meant.

"Goodbye, sweetie," Mrs. Shirkuro finished, releasing her only child and rushing back inside.

"Okay, change of plans," White announced when her blush had faded. "Claire's going to be riding with me, so Bianca, you can ride with Cheren on Unfezant. That work?"

"That does not work," Cheren answered, somewhat coldly. "Unfezant can't carry both of us all the way to the Pokémon League. If you want to go with Claire, then Bianca will have to ride with N."

White bit her lip in a reluctant sort of manner, and glanced between N and Bianca.

"Well…" she began slowly. "I… I don't want to trouble… Zekrom may be tired… and…"

"White, we have to go!" insisted N. "I don't mind Bianca riding with me, and I am sure Zekrom won't either, if Claire wants to ride with you."

"I… Well… All right, then. Let's just go!" White yelled, sending Reshiram out and leaping onto his back. Claire climbed on after her, and looked to either side to see Cheren mounting his Unfezant, and Bianca casting White a guilty look as she scrambled onto Zekrom after N.

"All right, to the skies, everyone!" called White, and the three Pokémon let out their distinctive cries and soared into the air. Claire looked around at the other fliers, trying to fight off her fear, when a horribly loud, ringing cry echoed through the air, seeming to fill the entire sky.

"What was that?" shouted White to the others. "Anyone have any idea what that was?"

"No," came Cheren's icy reply.

"It… sounded like a cry of a Pokémon… That I saw in Hoenn, a long time ago…" came N's barely audible response. "But there's no way… unless it's Cipher's now… But I really hope I am wrong…" he trailed off.

"_I hope so too, N,_" Claire thought. "_I hope so too._"


	6. Chapter 5: Strictly Policy

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 5: Strictly Policy

Claire didn't realize she had fallen asleep until White was gently nudging her awake. As her eyes flickered open, she saw the deep black dragon landing a few feet away and Bianca nervously leaping off of him, closely followed by N, who, while still clearly quite frightened, looked noticeably calmer. She blinked sleep from her eyes as she turned her head to look up at White, who smiled briefly at her before sliding off of her own dragon. Claire jumped down after her and looked inquiringly around at the sandy ruins. She was rather taken aback; she had expected the Pokémon League to be a bit more fancy and marvelous. Even so, she thought the ruins were, in a way, somehow more intimidating. She turned to say some of this to White, but found that she had walked over to the entrance of the castle and was speaking to the guard.

"We need to speak with Alder!" White yelled at the guard authoritatively. "It's an emergency! Let us through!"

"Well…" the guard murmured uncertainly. "Do you have all eight gym badges?"

"Badges?" White shouted incredulously. "Yes I've got the damn badges! Altogether we've got three sets of the badges! But I just told you, we aren't here to challenge the Elite Four! We need to speak with Alder and everyone! Now let us through to Alder's room!"

Claire stared awestruck at White and her powerful, commanding presence, so unlike her usual calm demeanor. She seemed to radiate sheer energy as she shouted down the guard; Claire could not blame him for cowering slightly as he spoke.

"I'm, er, well, that is to say… I'm afraid I cannot allow you access to, erm, the Champion's room. If you wish to see the Champion, you must, I mean, you have to defeat the Elite Four first."

"Were you listening to a single word I said?" White yelled quickly, with increasingly audible frustration. "We are not here to challenge the Elite Four! There is a very serious emergency going on, and we need the help of the entire Unova League, and the best way to rally everyone is to first meet with the Champion! So let us see Alder!"

The guard looked rather frightened, and seemed to struggle with his words until White shouted "Now, please!"

"Well, you see…" he stammered. "It… is literally not in my power to do so… The door to the Champion's room, erm, only opens when all the Elite Four have all pressed switches that, er, indicate that they have been defeated. And, well, they aren't likely to, erm, press them if they have not been, so…"

"Fine then!" White exclaimed. "Let's just go, guys!"

Still awestruck, Claire slowly followed White into the ruins. The guard began to say "Just one challenger at a time," but White wordlessly pushed him aside, and he protested no further.

"White, I have been thinking," N began, placing his hand on her shoulder as though to channel his newfound calmness into her. "We will need the help of the Elite Four in addition to Alder. Also, there are more than four of us here. You, Bianca, Cheren, and I could all take one of the Elite Four and explain the situation briefly, and fight them if they insist. Claire could go with one of us. Then we could reach Alder in one-fourth the time, and inform important allies sooner."

"That… is a brilliant idea, N!" White happily exclaimed after a moment. "All right, who's going to take who? Bianca," she pressed on, without waiting for a response. "You've got a strong Musharna right? How about you take Marshal? He's through that door there."

"Yeah! I can take him!" Bianca excitedly yelled. "You want to come with me, Claire?"

Claire looked nervously up at Bianca. She could see how nice she was, and how eager she was to make friends, but the prospect of going away alone with her was far too frightening to contemplate. She slowly backed behind N, trying to look apologetic through her fear. Bianca stood looking slightly disappointed for a second before rushing off through the door White had indicated.

"I can defeat Caitlin," Cheren stated, and quickly walked through the door just passed the one Bianca had gone through.

"I think that I should challenge Grimsley, as I have Breloom, and Zoroark knows Focus Blast now," N reasoned quickly. "I am guessing you want to follow White, Claire? I'll just go then… We need to hurry," he muttered, turning and walking off hastily.

"W-wait!" Claire called after him, feeling a sharp pang of guilt. She had indeed been away from N in favor of White most of the time since they had landed in Unova. She had suddenly realized she could have hurt N's feelings by asking to ride with White rather than him. While she may not have been able to show it very well, she had been very happy to have both another girl she could talk with relatively comfortably and something of an idol she could really look up to, and inadvertently she had largely neglected the friend that had been with her through the hardest, saddest, and most dangerous months of her life.

"What is it? Do you want to come with me instead?" N asked, barely suppressing a smile.

"I… Yeah, I do… Y-you don't mind, d-do you, White?" Claire said, receiving a half-confused, half-amused smile from White.

"Of course not Claire! It's whatever you want. We've just got to get going now, okay? So I'll see you in just a few minutes, hopefully," she assured her with a wink, before dashing off through the first door on the left.

"Come on, Claire, quick! We've got to get this done as soon as possible!" N repeated as he took Claire's hand and dashed through the final door that was yet to be opened, leading into a surprisingly fancy room that made Claire's eyes widen by how completely out-of-place it seemed in the ruined League. There was a red-carpeted ramp spiraling around a large pillar in the center that sat beneath a spectacular chandelier. As she and N stepped onto the ramp, it jerked forward and began to slide them up like a conveyer belt, but N was apparently unsatisfied with this and simply ran up to the top, leaving the torches lining the ramp to flicker to life out-of-sync with his ascent. Claire followed a few feet behind him, marveling at the spectacularity of the almost regal room.

"Stay close, Claire. A gate seals off the top once it's passed," N murmured, in an abruptly subdued and serious tone that Claire had come to associate with impending disaster. While to most it would have had the opposite effect, it made Claire rather more nervous than she already was, grabbing her attention more effectively than shouting would have. She hastily rushed up to his side as they reached the top of the column, indeed just barely making past a golden gate that rose from the ground.

"Grimsley…" N began, approaching dark leather couch on which a pale young man with black hair and suit sat nonchalantly. "The dark-type master of the Elite Four… I have come with a warning, and a request."

"You…" Grimsley interjected, showing a slight flicker of interest as N came into the light. "I believe I remember you… You were that trainer with the electric dragon Zekrom, yes? You defeated all of us and made your castle rise around the league, correct? All for the purpose of ordering all trainers to release their Pokémon, isn't that right?"

Although N had appeared on the verge of interrupting Grimsley several times, by the time the dark-type trainer had finished N merely stared blankly at him for a moment. Claire knew his past mistakes troubled him greatly, and that he had dedicated the rest of his life to attempting to make up for them. After just the moment, however, N seemed to catch back up with the present and pressed on.

"Yes, that was me, but I am now here for a very different reason. I do not wish to fight you, for I fear we have little time. I shall cut straight to the point: the regions of Orre and Hoenn have been entirely dominated by a secret society known as Cipher, Johto and Kanto seem to be heading that way, and I believe they may be approaching Unova as we speak to begin a subtle takeover. It is very important that we unite all of the Unova League, as well as anyone else here who can and will help, to stop this. I ask for your help, and that you let us though to meet with the Champion, or, even better, come with us. We need-"

"Okay, I'm just going to stop you right there," Grimsley finally interrupted. "As urgent as you appear, you're claims are rather far-fetched, and ultimately just lead to telling me to let you though to Alder without actually beating me, which is basically what I get paid to _not_ do. So I'll tell you what; you beat me, and I'll go with you to meet with Alder and hear your full story. If you don't want to fight, or can't beat me, then I can't let you go through. Sorry, but that's strictly policy. So are you ready for this?" he finished, withdrawing a Pokéball.

"If it must be this way," N rapidly whispered as he pulled out his own Pokéball. Claire wanted to protest against Grimsley's stubbornness, but knew better than to do so if N had chosen not to, so she merely set her bag onto the ground and sat to watch the two trainers battle.

"To battle, Sharpedo!" Grimsley called, throwing out his first Pokémon.

"Let's finish this quickly, Breloom!" N called in return, releasing his fungal fighter.

"Well that's certainly not good…" Grimsley muttered. "Earthquake, Sharpedo!"

"Seed Bomb, Breloom!"

Breloom barely flinched as the floor beneath her roared and shook, easily countering with a forceful barrage of explosive seeds that threw Sharpedo backwards. Despite how many battles Claire had seen N fight, she was always impressed with the strength and skill of his Pokémon.

"This is no good," Grimsley grumbled. "I cannot win this way."

"Another Seed Bomb, Breloom!" N called, but before she could move, Grimsley spoke.

"No! Sharpedo, return! It's your turn, Liepard!"

Breloom's grass-type attack bounced fairly harmlessly off of the black cat, which Claire deduced to be pure dark-type.

"Now use Sky Uppercut, Breloom!"

"Not so fast. Aerial Ace, Liepard!"

The cat lunged forward with blazing speed, flipped into the air, and swiftly descended onto the mushroom Pokémon while slashing out with her front paw. The blow made a deep gash in the side of Breloom's face and threw her to the ground.

"Breloom! No! Can you move?"

Claire's eyes widened in fear as she covered her mouth. N's Breloom lay quite still on the floor; the Aerial Ace attack had been a very brutal hit. However, she made a soft noise a stirred slightly. N looked concernedly at her.

"Are you sure, Breloom?" he asked softly.

Rather than reply, Breloom flickered her eyes open and jumped to her feet, as Claire let out a great gasp of relief. Both dark-type trainer and Pokémon looked shocked and took an apparently involuntary step backwards as the mushroom Pokémon launched a mighty uppercut that threw Liepard several feet into the air. When the dark cat crashed to the floor, she lay as motionless as Breloom had moments ago, though this time the Pokémon did not return to the fray.

"Most impressive," Grimsley commented casually. "Now, go Drapion!"

"You've done very well, Breloom, rest now. Go Camerupt!"

Claire did not miss Grimsley's slight wince as N sent out his volcanic camel. It was clear that this was another inoptimal type matchup for him.

"Another good choice…" Grimsley confirmed. "Use Crunch, Drapion!"

"Sunny Day, Camerupt!"

Sunlight quite literally poured through the domed window on the ceiling, causing Claire to squint and pull her hat down to shade her eyes so as to make out Grimsley's confused expression as his Drapion fiercely chomped Camerupt. The camel shook the blow off with an irritated expression, and N seemed unworried as he ordered the next attack.

"Now, quickly, use Earth Power!"

"Another Crunch then, Drapion!"

The giant scorpion barely had the time to deliver another powerful bite before Camerupt stomped forcefully on the ground, causing it to erupt with fiery power. The attack threw Drapion off of Camerupt, making her stagger back and collapse to the ground.

"Very good, though you took an unnecessary hit… Well then, go again Sharpedo!"

Claire had fully expected N to recall Camerupt as well and go for Zekrom or Zoroark or even Breloom, and thus squinted further to make sure she was seeing correctly when N chose to keep Camerupt out against its double weakness. She leapt to her feet an walked slowly to N's side, unable to stop herself.

"Um, N? What are you…" she softly began, but N smiled furtively down at her.

"Trust me, I have a plan," he whispered so quietly Claire was certain Grimsley would not have heard.

"To be safe," Grimsley murmured, pulling something from his pocket. "I think a full restore is due."

N smiled and watched the dark-type trainer spraying his full restore on his Sharpedo as he issued his next command.

"Camerupt… Use Solar Beam!"

Claire giggled at Grimsley's look of comical surprise as Camerupt unleashed a blast of solar energy, making the full restore a complete waste. Grimsley grumbled something under his breath as he recalled his brutal shark Pokémon.

"Brilliant… Though I don't like to admit it…" he sighed. "Let's try to regain some dignity, Krookodile!"

Claire stepped back and watched N as he contemplated the new foe, thinking intently. Then, however, Camerupt turned and looked up at him with an eager expression and let out a grunt that seemed to Claire to indicate determination, and N smiled down at him.

"Very well, I believe in you, Camerupt. Keep at him with another Solar Beam!"

"Not so fast," Grimsley called. "Your, ahem, Pokémon may have made a mistake. Earthquake, Krookodile!"

Again, the floor beneath them roared and shook tremendously, throwing Claire off balance and making her loose track of the battle momentarily. By the time she had regained her stability, N was staring sorrowfully at Camerupt, who had been throw unconscious.

"I am so sorry, my friend," he whispered with a shaking voice, as the sunlight faded as if to reflect his mood. "I know you asked it of me, but please forgive my poor judgment."

"Would you kindly hurry and send your next Pokémon out?" Grimsley asked with a bored voice.

Claire was suddenly filled with anger, and she pulled her hat back and glared fiercely up at Grimsley. It hit her that he had not show anything beyond annoyance at his Pokémon's defeat, and here he was now, berating N for his sadness. N, however, merely sighed and withdrew his next Pokéball.

"Go, Carracosta! Start off with an Aqua Tail!"

"Another Earthquake, Krookodile!"

Krookodile stomped her feet powerfully again, causing another deep tremor that threw Carracosta backwards. He struggled back up and sent a huge wave of water splashing at the desert croc Pokémon. She, too, however, managed to return to her feet.

"Finish it with Earthquake, Krookodile!"

"No! Aqua Jet, Carracosta!"

The croc had barely lifted her foot when the prototurtle Pokémon charged forward with blinding speed along a jet of water, throwing the Krookodile flat on her back. Grimsley made another irritated noise as he switched his unconscious croc out.

"Good move, I guess. Now, fight, Scrafty!"

"Excellent job, Carracosta, now get back! Your turn, Breloom!"

N's Breloom landed clumsily, hastily scrambling to her feet. She stared down the Scrafty, panting heavily, with a determined expression.

"Your injured Breloom? Very well, if you wish. Poison Jab, Scrafty!" Grimsley ordered.

"Use Focus Blast!" N called.

"His Breloom looks in bad shape, doesn't she?" a voice behind Claire whispered.

Claire couldn't hold back her scream as she withdrew a Pokéball and spun around to face the sudden new arrival. She found herself rapidly breathing in White's laughing face and sighed deeply with relief.

"You… You scared me!" she stammered, struggling to catch her breath as she repocketed her Pokéball and sat back down.

"I noticed," White chuckled, sitting beside Claire. "So I take it Grimsley was being inconveniently dedicated to his job? Ooh, nice one," she remarked, turning her attention to the battle. Claire followed her gaze in time to see a barely conscious Scrafty's Poison Jab bounce fairly harmlessly off of Breloom, who then blurred and became a Zoroark.

"Clever," Grimsley mumbled. "Use Brick Break, Scrafty!"

"Aerial Ace, Zoroark!"

Scrafty stared blankly at Zoroark as he bounded forward, leapt into the air, and struck down with his right front claw. The hoodlum Pokémon stumbled and collapsed out cold.

"Wow," Grimsley whispered. "Well, I've never retreated from any battles… Go Bisharp!"

"So is that his last Pokémon?" White asked in a rather loud whisper. "Cause seriously, we need to get going. I hope Bianca and Cheren are almost done too."

"I-I think that's his last one… If I've c-counted right…" Claire slowly whispered, stopping when N spoke.

"Finish this with another Focus Blast, Zoroark!"

"I think not. Bisharp… Guillotine."

Claire stood up and grabbed her bag to leave, but dropped it and gasped in fear as Zoroark's blast of energy narrowly missed Bisharp, who then charged headlong at the illusion fox with her bladed arms crossed. Claire tried and failed to close her eyes as the sharp sword Pokémon's Guillotine attack viciously struck Zoroark, who collapsed instantly.

"Zoroark!" cried N's and Claire's voices in unison.

"I am so sorry," N lamented as he recalled his starter Pokémon. "Finish this with Bolt Strike, Zekrom!"

Claire felt the energy flow through her as the electric dragon roared fiercely. Bisharp nervously stepped back a few steps before Zekrom charged forward in a mass of blue electricity. When he flew back to N's side, the Bisharp was thoroughly unconscious.

"Good. Very good. I can't deny that I'm impressed," Grimsley remarked. "Very well, I shall follow you to meet with Alder. Assuming the others have been defeated, of course."

With that, he hit a button next to his couch, creating a green glow on the ground.

"This way, then," he said, and stepped into the light.

"That was great, N!" White praised. "Well, let's hurry up and check on the others now!"

"Hmm?" N mumbled, looking up. "Oh right, yes, yes, let's go!"

He extended his right hand to Claire, which Claire gratefully took, muttering a soft thanks to N for remembering her fear of teleportation. Taking White's hand in his left, he swiftly strode into the light. Claire clinched her eyes tightly shut, gripped N's hand, and followed.

When Claire felt it was safe to open her eyes, she jumped at the sight of an unfamiliar lady with purple hair right in front of her, and hid behind N and White, who were apparently still holding hands. Claire whispered White's name, but she seemed not to notice. Instead, she listened to what N was saying to the others.

"…still fighting Marshal?" he asked, a bit impatiently.

"As he has evidently not pressed his switch, I would assume so. I very seriously doubt that he of all people would have allowed anyone to pass without a good fight," replied the purple-haired girl.

"Perhaps we should check on her? It would be even more of a hindrance if she loses," Cheren suggested in an oddly bitter voice, whom Claire noticed for the first time was standing in front of N with a girl dressed in pink with waist length blonde hair.

"Yes, let's go! We can't afford to wait for someone else to beat Marshal!" N insisted, checking his watch anxiously. "It's been nearly twenty minutes since that cry… How about you go, White?"

"…What was that?" White asked faintly after a brief silence.

"Someone needs to make sure Bianca is almost done with Marshal!" N exclaimed, releasing White's hand to gesture towards Marshal's room.

"Wait, what?" White asked again, shaking her head. "Oh! Right! Yeah, I'll go see-"

"I'm here!" came an exhausted and excited shout from the door to Marshal's room, and a moment later Bianca hurried out into the lobby. A moment after that, a tall, muscular black man appeared in the center of the room.

"You know, challenger," he said, chuckling very slightly. "The warp panels are made so you don't have to go back down the ramp against its rotation."

"Oh, right… I'm sorry, I just got excited…" Bianca murmured.

"No matter," Marshal dismissively assured. "So, this girl tells me you need to speak with all of us and Alder?" he said to N. "While I can't honestly say I feel you've earned that right, all the Elite Four have been defeated, if by different trainers, and so I suppose just this once, given the circumstances, you may."

"Yes, thank you," N quickly began before Marshal could say anything else. "Now please, we must hurry! Everyone get around the statue!"

Claire hastily stepped into the glowing area surrounding the statue between N and White, not knowing what to expect. She jumped and clung to White's leg as the statue suddenly shook and descended below the ground. White seemed again to be thrown out of a daze at this, and gave Claire a momentary startled look, which was quickly replaced with a laughing one.

"Surprising, isn't it?" she chuckled. "It kind of freaked me out too the first time I used it. They ought to give you a warning."

The moment the statue-elevator touched down onto the sand, the group sped off towards a tall set of stairs with N at the lead. Claire followed closely behind him, not looking at any of the strangers behind her. Very soon, they reached the top, where a tall, tanned man with large, spiky, fire-red hair stood eyeing the crowd with a degree of confusion and concern.

"Is that… N? And White and Cheren? Bianca too? And all of the Elite Four? And… Someone I have not yet met?"

"She is Claire," N introduced quickly. Claire blushed and looked down as the Champion turned to her.

"Well, hello Claire. It is always nice to meet new young trainers. But please tell me, why are all of you here? What is going on?"

"That is what I would like to know!" the pink-clad girl exclaimed. "Will someone give me a good explanation of what the hell is happening? This boy is remarkably uninformative!"

"I told you everything that I know. He is the one who knows what is going on," Cheren said through gritted teeth, pointing at N. As he indicated N, all eyes moved to him, who breathed deeply before launching into his tale.

"After I left Unova, I went to Hoenn, the furthest region west from here. I lived there for about a year and a half until the Orre region was isolated from the rest of the world, by, I believe, an organization called Cipher. No communications or travels to or from there would work. While you all the way here may not have heard of this, the secret could not be kept from Hoenn, which it trades with often. Likely because of this, within a month trainers claiming to be part of Cipher attacked Hoenn. They had extremely powerful Pokémon they called Shadow Pokémon, who had incredibly strong attacks, but were tortured into emotionless killing machines. Their trainers-"

"Hold on for a moment," the fiery-haired man, whom Claire assumed to be the Champion Alder, interrupted. "You say that Cipher has returned for a third time? And that they have more Shadow Pokémon?"

"What?" rang out many voices, including N's, simultaneously. Claire, however, was less confused; she had previously heard indications that Cipher had existed prior to their current actions.

"Cipher has terrorized the region of Orre with Shadow Pokémon twice before: once a little under five years ago, and once a little over ten years ago. Did you really not know that? I'm sure it would have been widely known in Hoenn, especially when they reappeared."

"I… was not aware of that…" N whispered. "But yes, I am saying that they are back, and it appears that this time they have succeeded in taking over Orre, as well as Hoenn. Basically, I tried to stop them, failed, and fled the region to avoid capture. I went through Johto and Kanto, where I met Claire, and discovered that Cipher has a degree of influence there, though they are yet to seize complete control. I do not know the status of Sinnoh, it is likely the same, but we decided to come here, where I thought we would be well outside the reach of Cipher."

"I should say you are, though your tone indicates otherwise," Alder remarked with apprehension.

"Well, the problem is, even though were made great efforts and plans to assure that no one knew of our departure from Kanto, and that we only landed in Kanto last night, Claire has already met a persistent rival she first met in Kanto, who cryptically hinted that he Cipher knew we were in Unova and were already on the way. We needed to reach you before anyone from Cipher did, and get the word out about what Cipher has done and plans to do. We need to raise an army, and the best place to start that is with the League. Can you inform all the gym leaders about this?"

"I will set out right away," Alder announced. "Marshal, Caitlin, Grimsley, Shauntal, if you would also-"

"Alder?" Grimsley broke in. "They have these wonderful new inventions called Xtransceievers. Why don't you just call the gym leaders?"

"They aren't going to work," N responded before Alder could. "Try yours."

Grimsley glared momentarily at N, whipped his Xtransceiever from his pocket and flipped it open. A screeching static noise issued from the device. Frowning, Grimsley repocketed it.

"Wireless communications in Unova have been knocked out. Did you all hear that screech about half an hour ago?"

The general murmur of agreement was suddenly interrupted by an earth-shattering explosion. Claire again clung to White's leg as she whirled around to see the main building of the Pokémon League utterly collapse. Her mouth fell open in shock and fear. Cipher had arrived.

"Quickly!" N shouted with the fierce conviction Claire had come to associate with immediate danger. "They are here! Some of us need to fend them off! We need to get Claire to safety!"

"Why is it so important that we do that?" Grimsley objected. N and White rounded on him, with looks of outrage Claire had only seen on N's face once before.

"First off, in case you haven't noticed, Grimsley, she is nine years old!" White roared with terrible fury.

"Not only that, but they are mostly here to try to capture her!" N shouted.

"Marshal, Grimsley, Caitlin, Shauntal," Alder commanded. "Go defend the League! Take these max revives, quickly, and go!"

Marshal caught the bag Alder had tossed to them, handed six revives each to the others, and, with that, the Elite Four charged into battle.

"Wait, one last thing I want you to tell me. What does Cipher want with this poor girl?" Alder asked N, but Claire found the courage to answer herself.

"Th-they want me… because I can sense Shadow Pokémon... and because I have Februa…" she whispered softly to the floor, sending out her shining white snakelike Pokémon as she spoke.

"And they want Februa…" she went on, petting her friend. "Because he has the power to purify Shadow Pokémon."


	7. Chapter 6: Falls, Friends, and Fights

**If you've read my deviantART journals, then you'll know how really really sorry I am that this update took over a month. I would ramble more about it, but if you want the details, check out my dA page, a link to which is on my profile.**

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 6: Falls, Friends, and Fights

"Claire, I don't think now is the best time to have Februa out!" White called out, jolting Claire out of her trance. She quickly muttered an apology to Februa and recalled him to his Pokéball. Her gaze flickered between N and White, silently beseeching them for some sort of plan. After a moment, N began whispering very rapidly, seemingly to himself as much as to Claire, White, and Alder.

"This direct assault is ominous. They normally work subtly until they begin their actual takeover. I doubt that is there intention here, which means they likely have a more elaborate plan behind this. I hate to suggest this, but I think… I think the best plan would be to split up and go to different cities."

"No way, N!" White objected forcefully. "We aren't going to divide now, it would be too-"

"We don't have time to argue!" N shouted. White looked very taken-aback, and a bit hurt, and Claire instantly understood how she felt. She vividly recalled the first close call they had had with Cipher, and how N had yelled at her, for the first and second-to-last time, when she had objected to leaving him behind. For the most part, everything had been okay, and N had apologized very sincerely as soon as they were safe again, but in that moment, she had felt confused and hurt by her friend's vehemence, even in such danger.

"…I'm sorry, White," N sadly murmured as he watched her dismayed expression. "I didn't mean to yell. But we really can't afford to argue right now. Cipher will likely try to discredit us as soon as possible, so it's important we spread the word about them as quickly as we can, and that means splitting up. Now listen closely. Since none of Bianca's Pokémon can fly, why don't you take her to Castelia City on Reshiram, and then fly ahead to Nacrene? Once Bianca has informed Burgh of Cipher's activities, she can move on to Nimbasa to warn Elesa. Meanwhile, you can warn everyone in Nacrene, Striaton, and Accumula. Claire can come with me on Zekrom to Driftveil and Mistralton, and Cheren can go to Lacunosa, Undella, and Black City. That leaves Opelucid and Icirrus for Alder. Once finished, we can all meet in Nimbasa City. Can you all do that?"

Before so much as a breath passed, Alder had jumped onto his Volcarona and whooshed past Claire with a brief "good luck to you all." In perfect unison, N and White released their dragons, and Claire gathered with the other four trainers between them.

"Well, good luck, White, Bianca," Cheren mumbled, only facing his two friends. Bianca whimpered slightly and flung her arms around Cheren's shoulders, sobbing softly for a moment before pulling White into the hug as well. Cheren looked startled as he gingerly patter her on the back, and White hugged her back with a worried expression.

"I'm so worried, guys, with these Cipher people everywhere… What if something goes wrong and we don't see each other again?" she sniveled.

"Erm," Cheren murmured, somewhat awkwardly. "…It'll be fine, Bianca. We'll meet up in Nimbasa in a couple hours. Cipher can't have many agents here anyway."

"Yeah, don't worry!" White exclaimed with a kind of forced cheer that to Claire seemed to indicate that she needed to follow her own advice. "We've got a head start, and I'm sure people are more likely to believe us than Cipher's people. Unova'll be safe. Come on, we really ought to get going!"

With that, White nimbly leapt onto Reshiram. Bianca hastily followed as Cheren climbed onto his Unfezant. Claire turned to see N sitting on Zekrom, gazing at White. White turned to him, and the barest fraction of a second passed in silence.

"…Good luck, White," N whispered. "Be safe."

White's face lit up, and she nodded in a happy-yet-solemn sort of way. Something invisible seemed to run between them in that moment. Then a gray-and-blue blur flew between them into the sky, severing the invisible something, and in a second Cheren and Unfezant were a blot in the pale gray heavens. The two Tao dragons each took off in pursuit.

As they flew southward, Claire considered the situation, and was vaguely worried; how much had Cipher done already? Did they really have a head start? What if Cipher already had agents waiting for them at every town? What if they were all headed straight into traps, in which they would now be alone? What if they would-?

Claire's concerns, however, were here interrupted by a cold, unearthly cry from somewhere close behind. A sudden shadow passed over Zekrom and Reshiram, and they came to an abrupt stop in midair as their flight path was suddenly blocked by a gigantic icy dragon. Claire didn't know which was more frightening: the dark aura that enveloped Kyurem, or the familiar blue-haired man who rode it.

"Enemies of Cipher!" Ardos proclaimed. "You interference shall end now!"

"N…" Claire whispered faintly. "N, that's a Shadow Pokémon…"

N barely had time to open his mouth in horror before they heard "Kill them with Freeze Shock!" and a huge mass of shadowy ice blasted Zekrom backwards, very nearly throwing Claire off. Before Kyurem could strike again, however, Reshiram rushed in between the two.

"N, that was a Shadow move," Claire said weakly. "Freeze Shock… isn't normally a Shadow move… is it?"

N's expression was confirmation enough, even though his words were drowned by the shouts of the combatants. Half of Claire's mind watched Reshiram's Fusion Flare collide with another Shadow Freeze Shock, while the other half contemplated the horror of Shadow Pokémon that didn't need Shadow moves…

"Crush these fools with Ice Burn!"

"Keep up with the Fusion Flares, Reshiram!"

Rather than charging another giant flame, however, Reshiram merely mimicked Kyurem and inhaled deeply. At precisely the same moment, Kyurem blew a shadowy, violent, freezing wind and Reshiram exhaled a jet of brilliant blue fire. The attacks collided, but Reshiram's Blue Flare quickly overcame the Ice Burn and engulfed Kyurem. This provided N with enough time to give Zekrom a few potions so he could fly forward into the battle.

"Hit it with a Dragon Claw, Zekrom!"

"Awesome, Reshiram! Another Blue Flare!"

"Enough of this!" the Cipher Admin called. "Deoxys! Fend the black one off with Psycho Boost! End the white one with Outrage, Kyurem!"

To Claire's horror, Ardos sent out a red-and-blue tentacle-waving creature cloaked in a black aura who let out an eerily familiar shriek that seemed to leave a static ringing in her ears. Now, at the very least, they could confirm the cause of the widespread electronic failure.

N frantically ordered Zekrom to defend Reshiram, but his path was instantly cut off by the DNA Pokémon, whose Psycho Boost attack blasted the great black dragon off course. Kyurem simultaneously charged forward in a mass of shadows, enduring the Blue Flare with apparent ease, and viciously bit, slashed, and tore at Reshiram. With one last claw swipe across the face, the vast white dragon plummeted from the sky.

"White!" N shouted, a frightening note of panic in his voice. His momentary distraction filled the few seconds in which Deoxys and Kyurem recovered from their exhaustively powerful attacks, and before he or Claire could begin to get over the shock of Reshiram's fall, the boundary dragon was upon them, brutally hacking and beating Zekrom. Claire heard N shout something, and vaguely noticed that Zekrom seemed to soaring downwards at an alarming speed as Kyurem attacked him. Claire clung to his back with all of her strength, but a particularly powerful strike from the ice dragon threw Zekrom spinning backwards, and Claire's grip failed to endure the momentum.

The velocity of the fall dulled all senses; the air stung her eyes closed, the roaring wind deafened her, the horrible cold numbed her skin, and thoughts came slowly and sluggishly. Then, instinctively, she suddenly recalled researching with N about what to do if they were attacked in midflight and fell from a high altitude.

_Spread your arms and legs out wide,_ she heard herself and N reciting. _Wait until the ground is close, then turn and land on the balls of your feet, with your knees bent. If you can find soft, flat ground or deep water, land there. Most importantly, stay calm._

It had been at her suggestion that they study this, given the frequency that they flew and were attacked, and had carefully learned the information. But now, as she actually plummeted from the skies, she realized how much easier it was to memorize a series of actions than it was to actually do them. With some difficulty, she forced her frozen limbs out. The icy air drying her eyes made it very difficult to see, but thought she could see water a ways ahead of her. She frantically attempted to thrust herself towards it, but her struggles yielded nothing. Rather than panic as she failed to reach the water, she instead relaxed as best she could and attempted to clear her mind. Slowly, she closed her eyes, breathing deeply…

Then, after an indefinite period of time that felt more like several hours than the few seconds it likely was, a sudden impulse told her that she needed to prepare to land. Without opening her eyes, she flipped forwards into a vertical position, bent her knees just slightly. Before she could think any further, a horribly sharp pain rent through her legs, extinguishing all memories and plans. The complete and total pain was unlike any she had ever felt. For a just moment she felt herself collapsing in utter agony, but a second later her mind was drowned in sweet darkness.

...

...

...

The first thing N felt was the cold floor beneath him. It was cool and smooth, like stone. He inhaled deeply, and immediately recognized the dank scent of a cave with flowing water. This knowledge eased his mind back towards unconsciousness, because caves meant safety. They were hidden, concealed from the eyes of Cipher…

Then, rather abruptly, he was inundated with memories that wrenched him into full consciousness: leaving Kanto on Zekrom in the middle of the night, landing in Nuvema, following his friend White to the Giant Chasm… going to the Unova League with White and her friends, defeating the Elite Four, talking to Alder… Cipher's attack on the League, and their subsequent plan and flight and fall…

Here, however, things got somewhat cloudy. What had happened after the fall? How had he possibly managed to survive? Where had he landed, and where was he now? But then, with a horrible stab of panic, he realized the most pressing question of all… Where was Claire? He knew she had fallen shortly before him, so they must have landed near each other, although they had certainly not just landed in this cave…

Then, with a rush of sweet relief that was gone as quickly as it came, he found his answer. There she was, curled up in a ball under a blanket in a corner of the cave, small and fragile, apparently unconscious, or… but he could not think that.

He quickly rushed over to her and examined her closely. He sighed with relief as he saw that she was breathing, albeit quickly and shallowly. But again he almost instantly panicked again when he noticed her legs. Both were utterly disfigured, with a few jagged bits of shattered bone protruding through her skin. His poor, poor friend… She looked unlikely to walk again…

As though sensing his consciousness, Claire's eyes flickered open. She shuffled sleepily, but let out a horribly pained yelp and stirred no more. After a few seconds, she spoke in the faintest of whispers.

"Wh… Where are we, N?"

N wondered that himself, and began trying to recall what events had succeeded the fall. As he worked it out in his mind, he slowly whispered to Claire.

"I believe… that we are in a cave in the Twist Mountain Range," he began. "Do you remember where that is from the maps?" She made a faint affirmative sound, and N continued, whispering primarily to himself. "I… definitely landed in water… so we would be somewhere on the east side… I went ashore and found… Zekrom!"

His panic fully resurfaced, accompanied with a surge of guilt. He had misled Zekrom and allowed him to get hurt very badly. His hand instinctively found his dear dragon's Pokéball and clicked it. Zekrom emerged from it in a sort of stumble, filling nearly half of the cave. His whole body went slack, and he fell to the floor, softly calling N's name. Another sharp pang tore through N's heart. He slowly laid a hand on his old friend's heavily scarred and burned back.

"Zekrom…" he whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "I am so sorry Zekrom."

"No," the dragon softly growled. "I'm sorry. I allowed my brother to win. I failed you, N, and I'm sorry. You were relying on me."

"Do not blame yourself!" N sobbed. "I should not have told you to fight. Sadly, Kyurem and that Deoxys are now Shadow Pokémon. I believe in your strength, my friend Zekrom, but you were really no match. I misled you, and I am sorry. Here, I shall get you some potions."

"I… can't deny that I would enjoy that…" Zekrom sighed as he settled down on the cave floor. However, as he said this, horror flooded N as he realized that their bag of supplies was gone.

"Claire…" he began slowly. "Do you… still have the supplies?"

As he looked in her direction, N saw Claire curled up with her own legendary Pokémon, having apparently returned to unconsciousness. Februa gazed at her face with nervous concern. The touching sadness of the scene melted N's heart, momentarily alleviating him of all his worries. With a sigh, he turned back to his other injured friend.

"Zekrom…" he whispered apologetically. "We do not have any supplies or money. Our bag is gone."

Zekrom let out a soft moan as he attempted to stand again. After a few shaky moments, he collapsed to the ground again with a pained grunt.

"Do not worry about me, N," he murmured. "You know I have endured far worse. I can recover from this. It is Claire you should be more concerned with."

N sadly realized the truth in these words and recalled Zekrom to his Pokéball. Not in a long time had N felt so helpless. They had no means of healing injuries of any kind in the cave, but Claire was far too grievously wounded to travel anywhere. He could take Zekrom to a Pokémon Center nearby via Pokéball, but doing so would require temporarily abandoning Claire. While he could simply leave some of his Pokémon behind with Claire's own to defend her in an emergency, he was wary of traveling anywhere without his full team, especially since Zekrom was already out of commission for battles. If he were to be attacked, and never returned to the cave, what would become of Claire, who couldn't even walk?

And yet… he had two very badly injured friends in desperate need of medical attention. Something had to be done, but he truly could think of nothing. His horrible helplessness began to stir panic. There was nothing he could do but sit here and watch his friends suffer while the entire world was dominated by Cipher until they found tracked them to the cave and finished them off and he could do nothing about it and his friend White was probably dead somewhere and he missed his mother very badly and wished that she was there to help and he didn't know what to do…

As tears of sorrow and fear welled in his eyes, he looked again upon Claire and Februa in the corner of the cave. Attempting to distract himself, he wondered how they had all ended up here. Through a daze, he could vaguely recall finding Claire after Zekrom, but he really had no idea how they had come to be in the cave. He suspected he had brought her here, but he couldn't remember doing so in the slightest.

As he pondered this, Februa caught his attention again. He was quietly contemplating Claire's legs with a puzzled expression. N gave a saddened half-smile as he crossed to the purification Pokémon.

"Yes, sadly, Februa, her legs are badly broken," N lamentingly told him.

"Why?" the small, curious Pokémon asked with a frown.

"We were attacked in midair, and she fell very far. The force of the fall broke her legs. Thankfully, she learned how to land from long falls a while back, and that was only the extent of the damage. Now that I think of it… she likely saved my life by teaching me that."

Februa did not respond to this, but merely continued to gaze intently at Claire's legs. Just as N's thoughts began to drift back to the mountainous problems looming ahead, however, Februa spoke again.

"Wh-why can't we use p-potions to make her better?"

This question puzzled N. What if they were to have potions readily available? Would they heal Claire's legs? Although they were intended for Pokémon injuries, what would stop them from working on human ones? It was a question he was surprised to find he had never contemplated before. And yet, at the moment, it was irrelevant; even if a single ordinary potion would mend her legs completely, she would still be no better off than Zekrom.

"We lost our bag in the fall," N quietly explained. "So we do not have any potions. Even if we did, I do not know how well they would repair human wounds."

Februa made a small, thoughtful noise and turned back to Claire. Then, to N's utter astonishment, he closed his eyes and let out a high, soft note, glowing with bright yellow light. As he held the note, waves of light flooded over Claire, gently pushing the fragments of her bones back into place. The pieces mended back together, and the cuts in her skin where they had torn through resealed themselves, all apparently without disturbing Claire's slumber in the slightest. N incredulously stared, his mouth open in awe, hardly daring to believe what he saw.

"Februa…" he said in a barely audible whisper. "Was that… Heal Pulse? Did you just learn Heal Pulse?"

"I… I think so…" the pale serpent slowly responded, seeming even more surprised than N was himself. "B-but I didn't know that I c-could do it until just now…"

The sheer joy that overwhelmed N shone brightly next to the panic and despair that had plagued him for the past week-long hour that had started from the moment Claire returned from her battle with Triton. He rushed over to Februa and seized him in his arms.

"Thank you, thank you, Februa! You have saved her, saved us all! Thank you very much, my friend."

Februa squirmed embarrassedly at the praise, so like his trainer. Realizing this, N set him back down above the cave floor. N felt very much in the small Pokémon's debt, and began to wonder how he could possibly repay him.

"I… guess I'll j-just heal Zekrom then…" Februa whispered. "If you just let him out…"

"Yes, yes! Thank you! I cannot thank you enough, Februa. I promise to repay you in some way," N excitedly said as he clicked Zekrom's Pokéball open again. The electric dragon stumbled as he emerged before turning to face N.

"What is it, N?" he asked. "Have you decided what we are going to do now?"

"Februa has saved us, Zekrom!" N happily exclaimed. "He has learned the move Heal Pulse! Look, he has already completely mended Claire's injuries!"

"Really, Februa? That's amazing!" Zekrom cheered, his delight at his young friend's progress shining clearly across his face. "I told you you'd get a good move soon, didn't I? But Heal Pulse! Plenty of Pokémon can inflict harm, but not many can heal. That's really something, Februa. Remember that."

As Februa sang again to heal his draconic mentor, N's thoughts turned to problems beyond their cave, and he began to worry again. What had become of his friend White, and Reshiram and Bianca? Had they survived their fall? But surely they must have, they simply could not be… But he would not allow himself to even think of that. Assuming they were not severely injured, had they managed to evade Cipher's agents? Were they hiding, as he and Claire were, or were they fighting more agents of Cipher? Or, perhaps, had they escaped the assassins and had made it to their destinations, and were rallying trainers against Cipher at this very moment?

There was only one thing to be done. As much as N wanted to find his friend White, he held the responsibility of spreading the word about Cipher. He resolved to proceed with the plans they had made and hope for the best.

"N?" came Claire's soft voice from her corner. "Wh-what is going on?"

N turned to see Claire slowly rising. He moved to help her as she stumbled a bit, but she maintained her balance, apparently without much difficulty. She walked over to Februa and lifted him into her arms, gently stroking his head.

"Where are we? What happened? What is going on?" she asked again. With a sigh and a smile, N replied.

"We fell off of Zekrom when Ardos attacked us with Shadow Kyurem and Deoxys. I was rather dazed after the fall, but I managed to find you and Zekrom and get us to this cave before losing consciousness. I am fairly certain that Cipher does not know we are here. Anyway, you and Zekrom were in very bad shape, and we lost all our supplies in the fall, so things were looking rather hopeless. Then, however, Februa saved us all, for he learned Heal Pulse, and completely mended yours and Zekrom's injuries!"

At this, Claire's deep magenta eyes widened with pride at Februa. Rather than shower him with praise, though, as N himself and Zekrom had, she merely hugged him and whispered "Thank you, Feb. I love you." N could sense that a lot of unsaid understanding went with those words, something neither he nor Zekrom nor anyone else could give to Februa. It reminded him vividly of himself and Zorua, so long ago. He smiled up at Zekrom and placed a hand on his leg, causing him to look down and laugh softly.

"Anything for you, Claire," Februa responded very quietly. Though she would only have heard a soft cry, Claire could clearly see the meaning behind it. Holding her friend in her arms, she turned back to N.

"So now what? What happened to White? What do you think we should do?" she inquired in a whisper. "Do you think we should and find White and everyone? Or should we just go on like we planned?"

N let out a saddened sigh. He knew what he had resolved to do, and intended to do it. He knew Claire would understand, and not object or argue, but a part of him wished that she would. Deep down, however much it pained him, he knew he could not place his friends above the Pokémon and people of the entire world.

"We… need to go on like we planned…" he finally answered. "White is a very strong trainer; I know she and Bianca will be okay. They are probably already in Castelia and Nacrene, alerting the gym leaders. We need to focus on stopping Cipher before they become too influential here."

"That's what I was thinking, too," Claire said, nodding solemnly. N was glad to have as clever and understanding friend as Claire, but she nearly always agreed with his more responsible side that was dedicated to defeating Cipher, rather than his instinctive, childish side that wanted only to protect his friends. He knew this was for the better, but at times like this he wished she would insist otherwise.

"We should probably leave now," Claire whispered after a few moments of silence. N cleared his thoughts with a shake of his head and turned to the cave exit.

The sky outside was the dark gray of an impending storm. N carefully crept out around the trees, surveying the area. A small river flowed through, forming something of a small marsh. Seeing no one nearby, he walked out to the edge of the water with Claire, Zekrom, and Februa.

"N!" Claire called. "Here's a Pokéball! And here's a Super Potion! I think some of our stuff fell here!"

N was glad to know that they had recovered some supplies, but decided not to waste time searching the area for everything. Instead, attempting to assure that no Cipher agents were hidden anywhere, he knelt at the riverbed and spoke to a nearest Pokémon, a Shelmet.

"Hello? Miss Shelmet? May I ask you something?"

The Shelmet flipped her shell open, saw N, and immediately slammed it shut again.

"Ah! Go away! Don't hurt me! J-just leave me alone!" she cried.

"It is okay! I am not going to hurt you! I just wanted to ask you something."

"No! No! Leave me alone! You'll hurt me, too!"

N pitied the poor, frightened girl, and had just decided to ask another Pokémon when Claire stepped up next to him with Februa.

"You're too big, N, and she's too little. It's scary to her," she explained. "Let me try!"

N realized that she was probably right, and stepped back to allow her to calm the Shelmet down. She knelt down and whispered soothingly to the frightened Pokémon.

"It's okay, Miss Shelmet; we won't hurt you. I know my friend N is really tall, but he's not scary. He just wanted to ask you something. We'll leave you alone if you want, but we'd really appreciate it if you would help us. Will you help us, or do you want us to go?"

"I… I guess I'll try to help…" the Shelmet muttered, calming down slightly. "If you won't hurt me…"

Again, although Claire could not understand the words, she seemed to know that she had successfully eased the Shelmet's nerves. N proceeded forward and stooped beside the Shelmet girl again.

"Hello, Miss Shelmet. I'm sorry for scaring you. I just wanted to know, has anyone else passed through here recently? Say, in the past twenty minutes?"

The Shelmet whimpered softly before beginning a slow explanation. "There… there was one guy… with blue hair and a some kind of robe… who came charging through here on a dragon…he crushed a lot of my friends… but that was over an hour ago, just a few minutes after you went into that hidden cave…"

This news shocked N very badly. There was no way; they could not have been unconscious in that cave for over an hour. Struggling to remain calm, he quickly spoke to the Shelmet again.

"An hour? Over an hour? Are you sure, absolutely sure, it has been that long?"

"A-about…" she stammered. "B-but I'm not sure… maybe a little less…" Then, suddenly, her eyes widened, and she looked very confused.

"W-wait…" she began curiously. "H-how can you understand me?"

"I can understand all Pokémon, miss, it's a gift I have," N quickly explained. "But this is bad; we need to leave, straight away! An entire hour lost…"

"I-I'm sorry!" the Shelmet exclaimed nervously. "D-don't be mad at me, p-please…"

"It isn't your fault, Miss Shelmet," N assured her quickly, without much thought. "But come on, Claire, Zekrom, we need to leave!"

N quickly leapt onto his deep black dragon and turned to help Claire up, but Claire had stopped halfway to Zekrom when the Shelmet called out "w-wait!" She rushed back to the snail Pokémon and knelt by her side.

"What is it?" Claire asked kindly. "Do you want to come with us?"

"If… if you don't mind… I don't want to be alone…" Shelmet responded almost inaudibly. Claire smiled widely and quickly pulled the Pokéball she had found on the ground out of her pocket.

"Yay! Welcome to the team, Shelmet!" she cheered, softly clicking the Pokéball on her newest friend. N was happy for Claire, but the continual passing of time still worried him, and he was grateful that Claire dawdled no further and, returning Februa to his Pokéball as well, she quickly climbed onto Zekrom.

"All right, Zekrom," N rapidly whispered. "Let's go south, to Driftveil, as quickly as you can, but please don't overexert yourself. Try to fly as low as possible, just to be safe."

"I'll be fine, N, don't worry," Zekrom insisted, before soaring into the air, just a few feet above the treetops. After a few moments, N turned around to see Claire talking to her new friend.

"Hi there, new friend!" she happily said. "I would introduce you to the rest of the team, but there's not a lot of room up here, so how about we just get to know each other?"

"Th-that sounds good," Shelmet muttered timorously. Claire beamed at her and launched into a series of questions about Shelmet and comments about herself.

N was truly impressed with how well Claire understood Pokémon. N had, in a way, an unfair advantage in that field, since he had learned at a very young age to speak with Pokémon, and yet Claire could communicate with her Pokémon quite as well as he could. She didn't need to actually hear the words; just by their cries and movements, she could easily decipher what they were saying. N had no doubt that she was to become one of the greatest trainers in the world.

Zekrom flew with incredible speed, and they did not encounter a single obstacle; thus, in less than ten minutes, they landed on the outskirts of Driftveil on Route 6. N slid off of Zekrom and recalled him to his Pokéball for some well-earned rest. Claire, let Shelmet stay on her shoulder as they entered the city.

It was immediately obvious that something important was happening. A large crowd was gathered at the far end of the street, just in front of the gym. N quickly but cautiously approached the multitude of people, attempting to discern who or what they were gathered around. As he pushed his way through the throng with Claire, he was shocked to find Bianca, Ardos, and the gym leader Clay arguing at the center.

"B-but I'm telling the truth!" Bianca was shouting. "He r-really did attack us! H-he's one of those Cipher people!"

"Mr. Clay, I must insist that you listen to reason," Ardos countered. "Is she not acting precisely as I told you she would? I can prove that she was at the Pokémon League at the time of the explosion. I insist you not be swayed by the lies she has been fed. At the very least, permit her to be taken into custody, so we International Police may ascertain the location of the terrorist known as N."

At this point, N knew it was time to intervene. He hastily stepped forward, out of the crowd, directly behind Ardos.

"You won't have to look far," he muttered. Ardos spun around and leapt back in surprise. After a few moments of shock, he recovered himself and quickly withdrew a pure black Pokéball. Over the frightened shouts of the crowd, he called out:

"This is the man who blew up the Pokémon League! His young cooperative, too! Help me capture them, Clay!"

"No! Clay, please!" Bianca cried out in distress.

"'old yer Ponytas, Mister Ardos, an' Miss Bianca," Clay yelled. "I ain't so sure I buy these accusations a' yers. I may never of met this 'ere man 'fore, but I am familiar with the old Team Plasma 'e used t'be in charge of, an' blowin' up buildins ain't their style. Furthermore, I still ain't _seen_ this proof a' yers that this 'ere lady and this 'ere man were at the League. I ain't callin you a liar, but I ain't about t'let you attack these people till I see some real proof."

"Leader Clay," N rapidly whispered, relieved that Clay was not yet hoodwinked by Cipher, yet somewhat dismayed that he was giving Ardos consideration. "This man is a Cipher Admin known as Ardos. Cipher is an evil organization that has taken over the regions of Orre and Hoenn, and-"

"I am familiar with this tale, Mister N," Clay interrupted. "This 'ere lady has already told me. It's an awful lie, so awful that no one with an ounce a' sense would use it. Though this 'ere Ardos man's story makes sense, y'all don't strike me as liars. Now, I am gonna-"

"Mr. Clay, you are wasting time we do not have," Ardos emphatically insisted. "With or without your assistance, I will arrest this terrorist here!"

"You'll do no such thing," Clay flatly stated. "If you attack these 'ere people without givin' me any proof that they did what you said they did, I will do everthin' in my power to 'elp them. You understand me?"

"If you wish to be arrested for obstructing justice, so be it!" Ardos venomously spat, pulling another black Pokéball with his free hand. Thoroughly incensed at Ardos's blatant lies, N's hand instinctively fell to Zoroark's Pokéball. As he sent out his oldest friend, Bianca resolutely released her Emboar, and Clay his Seismitoad. At his side, Claire courageously sent out Zweilous.

"You are fools!" Ardos vehemently shouted. "Complete fools, if you dare to fight me!"

And, with that, he threw both Pokéballs, unleashing his Shadow Kyurem and Shadow Deoxys.


	8. Chapter 7: Defensive Measures

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 7: Defensive Measures

"Dragon Breath Kyurem and Bite the Deoxys, Zwei!"

"Smash 'em with Drain Punch, Seismitoad."

"E-Emboar! Hammer Arm! Use Hammer Arm on Kyurem!"

Although many trainers would have scarcely heard their ally's commands and simply issued an order as though they were fighting alone, N listened closely to them before speaking. Then, turning his focus completely to his oldest friend, he quickly analyzed Ardos's Shadow Pokémon and made a split-second decision.

"Zoroark! Use Night Daze on Deoxys!" he called out, forgetting, in all his careful planning, about Zoroark's illusion. Zoroark threw N a disgruntled expression before abandoning the illusion of an Altaria and preparing to attack.

"Pathetic!" Ardos cackled. "Outrage, Kyurem! Kill that Emboar with Psycho Boost in Attack Form, Deoxys!"

All six Pokémon moved in rapid succession. Bianca frantically shouted "No! Stop and just move out of the way!" as Deoxys charged its attack, and Emboar stopped charging at the storming Kyurem and leapt out of the way, very narrowly avoiding Deoxys's blast of psychic energy. N felt a strong rush of pride as, before the DNA Pokémon could recover from the attack's recoil, Zoroark unleashed a powerful surge of darkness that threw the fragile Attack Deoxys back several feet.

"That all you've got?" Zoroark laughed, but indignantly shouted as the Deoxys rose with apparent ease, despite the severity of its injuries. He made to dash forward, but N suddenly saw that Kyurem's rampage was nearing Zoroark.

"Zoroark, look out! Kyurem is attacking!"

N's heart skipped a beat as Zoroark changed direction just in time to avoid Kyurem's descending claw. He could clearly tell, however, that his illusion fox friend would not be able to dodge the ice dragon's next blow. But in that instant, Clay's Seismitoad threw himself in front of Zoroark, blocking Kyurem's crushing jaws. Though clearly injured, he instantly countered with a smashing Drain Punch, restoring his vitality and knocking Kyurem off balance. Before it had even began to recover, Emboar had charged forward and bashed the boundary dragon with his heavy fist.

Deoxys quickly made to strike Emboar again, but, forgotten in the intense battle, Zweilous leapt onto it and fiercely bit its head, finishing it off and knocking it to the ground. She then nimbly jumped and used a Dragon Breath attack against the already-dazed Kyurem with her other head. Just short of a minute after the battle had begun, both of Ardos's Shadow Pokémon lay unconscious on the ground.

"You dare! You dare resist arrest from an International Policeman! This is a capital offense!" he furiously exclaimed, tossing all four of his other dark black Pokéballs out in two swift motions. His Scizor, Toxicroak, and Donphan quickly rushed towards their opponents, while his Alakazam stayed back and silently surveyed the battle.

"Zoroark!" N called out, his thoughts racing as he looked over the new opponents. "Aerial Ace on the Toxicroak!"

"Take the hit and counter with Revenge, Toxicroak!" Ardos immediately shouted. "Now Donphan, crush the Seismitoad with Giga Impact!"

"Send 'em back with Hydro Pump, Seismitoad," Clay coolly commanded, as though Ardos had acted exactly as he had predicted.

"E-Emboar!" Bianca simultaneously yelled. "Flare Blitz the Scizor!"

"Follow that up with Incinerate, Zwei!" Claire instantly added.

"Scizor! Dodge and hit the Zweilous with X-Scissor! Alakazam, eliminate that Emboar with Psychic!"

Each command was executed by the Pokémon just as rapidly as their trainers had given them. N felt a jolt of sorrow as he saw in the periphery of his vision Emboar get launched back several feet by a blast of psychic energy before he had even neared the Scizor. N's main focus, however, was on his friend Zoroark as he flipped into the air and descended with a quick strike. The Toxicroak was slashed badly, but, barely flinching, she countered with a powerfully strengthened blow that threw Zoroark back several feet. Zoroark struggled to his feet and attempted to move again, but N could clearly see with an even greater burst of despair that standing and walking hurt Zoroark greatly and hastily threw his Pokéball out to recall him. The illusion fox, however, dodged his Pokéball and threw N a determined look.

"I can finish this, N!" he yelled, gasping for breath. "Just let-"

"No, Zoroark!" N interrupted. "You are too injured, and you will not do any good for yourself or us by continuing to fight. You did well, but please return now."

Zoroark let out an objecting moan, but did not avoid the Pokéball a second time and yielded to his trainer. N quickly surveyed the battlefield and saw, with a horrible pang of shock, that Zweilous and Seismitoad had succumbed to the Shadow Pokémon's attacks. Valiantly throwing off this sadness, N assessed the foe's Pokémon and hastily selected a Pokéball.

"Altaria! Quickly, hit the Scizor with Flamethrower!" he shouted, again the first to move, as he released his Humming Pokémon. To his right, he saw Claire sending out Februa, and Bianca her Chandelure. Glancing to his left, he saw Clay's Golurk trudging into battle.

"Confusion on Toxicroak, Feb!" Claire ordered with fierce conviction.

"Chandy!" Bianca quickly added. "Help Februa out with Psychic!"

"Sucker Punch that candle, Toxicroak!" Ardos immediately countered. "And Night Slash the worm, Scizor!"

"Golurk, Shadow Punch yonder 'kazam, quick as you can," N barely heard Clay mutter.

"And Alakazam!" Ardos proclaimed, ignorant of Clay's command. "Ice Punch the Altaria! Follow that up with Rollout, Donphan!"

Before any other Pokémon had even begun to move, Alakazam teleported in front of Altaria and punched her powerfully across the face with a freezing fist, smashing her both from the sky and out of the Dophan's way. N's heart skipped several beats, but she miraculously shook the blow off and slowly stood up.

"I'm… okay…" she panted, fluttering just a few inches off the ground.

In the next moment, many things happened in quick succession. The Toxicroak rapidly drew up on Bianca's Chandelure and struck her with two swift punches, knocking her thoroughly unconscious. Bianca let out a pained wail and recalled her luring fire Pokémon. Just then, Februa charged at the Toxicroak, preparing his Confusion attack, but Scizor rounded on him with menacingly raised claws. However, before she could deliver her devastating Night Slash attack, Altaria soared forward and blasted her with Flamethrower. Undeterred by any of this, Februa threw the Toxicroak back with a mass of psychic force. N's celebratory cheer, however, was cut short when both Shadow Pokémon leapt up, apparently unfazed by their double weaknesses.

The momentary silence that followed was broken as Alakazam flew forward and landed between Februa and Scizor, where he laid motionless in a crumpled heap. N turned to Clay's Golurk, who was standing just behind the spot Alakazam had occupied, and beamed gratefully at him before preparing for the next round of attacks.

"Just use Flamethrower again, Altaria!" he ordered, this time virtually simultaneously as Ardos's command of "Take the bird down with Rollout, Donphan!"

Donphan rolled forward very rapidly, and N could clearly see that Altaria, injured and barely able to remain above the ground, would not be able to avoid the super-effective hit that could easily take her out. Consumed by fear, N attempted to shout to his friend, but his words were drowned by another's:

"Februa!" Claire exclaimed. "Quickly, use Heal Pulse on Altaria!"

Februa let out his distinctive soft cry, emitting a pulse of golden light at Altaria, causing the nasty bruise to fade from her face and the frost coating her head to melt. Though she became visibly more focused, Donphan still struck her in the next moment, but she easily shook off the blow and swooped down upon Scizor.

"No!" Ardos cried, enraged. "Scizor, just kill Februa with Night Slash!"

Before the words had even left the Cipher Admin's lips, Altaria blew a bright jet of flame that enveloped pincer Pokémon, who finally collapsed.

"Bah!" Ardos spat. "I've had enough! Toxicroak, subdue these trainers with Poison Jab! Hit them until their poisoned! Donphan, to me!"

Ardos leapt into the air, landing rather gracefully on the back of his Donphan, while his Toxicroak abruptly rushed at Claire, who, seemingly by instinct, skipped to the side. However, just before the toxic mouth Pokémon reached her, several bolts of energy blasted the Shadow Pokémon to the ground. N turned to see Bianca's Musharna finishing her Psyshock attack, which knocked the Toxicroak out completely.

"You have lost, Cipher Admin Ard-" N triumphantly proclaimed, but abruptly stopped when he saw that Ardos was already fleeing northward on Donphan, not even bothering to retrieve his Toxicroak. Pausing only to throw back a curse that was lost over the distance, he quickly sped away into the woods.

Several moments of dense silence passed, in which N glanced between his three allies and the spot from which the Cipher Admin had vanished. Eventually, it was Bianca who disrupted the frozen quiet.

"Well, I guess we won, guys!" she happily cheered. "I doubt he'll be messing with us again!"

"I wish you were right," N sighed. "But he is most likely leaving to confirm our location and return here with greater numbers. Leader Clay, could you rally anyone here who is willing to fight to prepare for their return? It would be best if-"

"Now would ya 'ang on just an Arceus-damned second, Mister N. I still ain't too sure bout all of this. Shore, I believe that that man's just about as much an Innernational Policeman as this lil lady is, but I need more information 'fore I go raising a damn militia. Most important, what's yer plan? You just gonna run round to every city an' tell 'em all bout Cipher? Get 'em rarin' to fight? Then what? You propose we invade Orre? Declare a full-scale war? That really yer long-tem plan?"

N remained silently thoughtful for a few moments after Clay finished speaking. Though he had never thought of his mission in precisely those terms before, they essentially summed it up. He sought for the right words to persuade the skeptical Ground-type leader to join the cause, but, in truth, that really was his long-term plan.

"Well…" N slowly began. "I intend to rally the regions of Kanto, Sinnoh, and Johto before liberating Hoenn and Orre, but… yes, that basically summarizes my ultimate goal."

After a couple seconds of nerve-wracking silence, Clay's mouth spread into a smile.

"Excellent," he mused. "Glad yer standin up to these bastards. Someone's gotta do it, an' you sure got the backbone fer it. Y'all just head on out to other cities. I'll let everyone 'ere know what's goin' on."

"Thank you greatly, Leader Clay," N said, beaming as the gym leader approached the crowd that had backed far away during the intense battle. N then quickly turned to Bianca, and, with no small amount of anxiety, asked the question that had been hovering tormentingly in the back of his mind since they had arrived in Driftveil.

"Bianca, where is White? What happened to you two when you fell? Did she leave to another city, or is she injured somewhere, or…?" he trailed off, preferring to allow Bianca to answer rather than speculate further.

"Hmm? Oh, White? She's fine! Well, mostly. She sent out Archeops, so we didn't fall all the way down. I think she might've broken her right leg at some point though, but she could still limp on it, so it couldn't have been too bad. But anyway, she went ahead to Nacrene City and those places, just like we planned. She had to fly Archeops, since Reshiram was too hurt, so she couldn't take me, so I decided I would warn Clay first, since I'd have to pass through Driftveil anyway. But Ardos was already here when I showed up, and, well, you saw what happened."

N let out a deep sigh of relief. White was alive, relatively uninjured, and heading to Nacrene City. Assuming Alder and Cheren had not been attacked in a similar manner, they still stood a good chance of completing their initial plan.

"Okay, I think we can carry on with our plan, for the most part," N began, quickly reworking their strategy. "Bianca, you can just keep going to Nimbasa, and then on to Castelia, then back to Nimbasa for the meeting. Meanwhile, Claire and I can go to Mistralton, warn Skyla, and then ret-"

"No! Oh no, no, no! Don't go to Mistralton!" Bianca cried out suddenly, rather startling N. "Me and White almost went there first, but there were lots of Cipher people around there! We knew we couldn't get through them all, so we went south, where there weren't so many. But don't go there yet! We'll need more friends to go there!"

N was rather shaken by this unforeseen bit of information. Had Cipher really occupied northern Unova so quickly? Just how extensive was the area they had taken? If it really was the whole northwestern region, then they were fairly well poised for a takeover. It was more likely that they were still under the guise of hunting for the terrorist N, but a single order could begin a hostile conquest. N knew that they couldn't afford to assume their presence was limited to the Mistralton area, and that this meant that their time was likely running short.

"…Very well then," he finally began. "We shall change our plans. We can fly you to Nimbasa on Zekrom, then drop you off there and head to Castelia ourselves. Once we warn Burgh, we can return to Nimbasa. If anyone hasn't arrived to Nimbasa by then, we can set out looking for them."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Bianca cheered. "That sounds like a good plan! Let's go!"

"W-wait!" Claire's small voice abruptly rang out. "What about this poor Toxicroak?"

N suddenly felt appalled at himself. He could hardly believe that he had nearly forgotten about the injured Pokémon. He quickly bent down and examined her injuries. She seemed hurt rather badly, as most Shadow Pokémon were when they finally fainted. N gingerly lifted her into his arms, quickly coming to a decision.

"Bianca, do you have any spare Pokéballs?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" she exclaimed, rummaging through her bag. "I've got some… here!"

N thanked her as he caught the red-and-white sphere. He softly clicked the Pokéball's button on the Toxicroak's nose, sending her into the ball. With a sigh, half sorrowful over the Pokémon's condition, but half glad that she was now out of the hands of Cipher, he tossed the Pokéball to Claire.

"Claire, could you carry her for now, and, whenever you have time, see if Februa can purify her?"

"O-of course!" Claire said. "You'll be okay, Miss Toxicroak."

With a smile of thanks, N clicked the button of Zekrom's Pokéball. The deep black dragon glanced around curiously at the crowd to which Clay was speaking before turning to N.

"What is going on now? What is the plan?" he inquired.

"We are going to drop Bianca off at Nimbasa, then head to Castelia," N quickly explained. "We really should get going. Do you think you will be okay carrying the three of us to Nimbasa?"

"Of course, it's just over the bridge. I'll be there in no time at all," Zekrom confidently proclaimed. With another smile of gratitude, N leapt onto his friend, then turned to help Claire up. Once Bianca had clambered onto his back, Zekrom took off, speeding across the sea towards the tall roller coasters and towering amphitheaters of Nimbasa City.

"_Oh Arceus,_" N thought. "_Please let us save this land. Please don't let it be to late…_"

* * *

><p>White dashed along Route 3 as fast as her injured legs would carry her. The previous battles with Cipher peons had weakened Archeops, and Reshiram was still far too hurt to fly, so she decided she could make do with walking between Nacrene City and Striaton.<p>

Lenora had been extremely helpful. As quick-witted and levelheaded as ever, she had wasted no time in gathering the all the nearby trainers to fend off the Cipher agents that had been pursuing White. White had been in and out of Nacrene City in under fifteen minutes. Now, she just had to warn the Striaton trio, and possibly also Professor Juniper for Nuvema and Accumula. Then she could head to Nimbasa, where she would hopefully find Cheren, Bianca, Alder, Claire, and… N.

"_Assuming he survived the fall…_" White thought before she could stop herself. She promptly mentally kicked herself for her pessimism.

"_Come on, White, don't even think stuff like that!_" she ordered. "_He is gonna be just fine! We just gotta focus on finishing this job._"

With that, she turned her thoughts to the task ahead. Perhaps she could ask two of the Striaton gym leaders to go to Accumula and Nuvema in her stead, while the third alerted Striaton. That way, she could head to Nimbasa City much sooner.

Just as she decided on this, the hedge garden of Striaton City came into view around a corner. White redoubled her pace, determined to reach the city as quickly as possible. She had made it about halfway to the vine-entangled gateway when…

_Smack._ Out of nowhere, a black-clad figure had appeared in her path, causing her to crash into it and fall to the ground.

"…You, huh. It seems we were mistaken. Again, we meet, White."

After she shook off her daze and scrambled to her feet, White let out a shout of shock at the sight of three shadowy beings she had not encountered in over two years.

"Y-you! What are you doing here? Let me go!"

"I am afraid we cannot do that…" the blue-eyed one spoke on her right.

"… You see, we have been ordered to take you elsewhere," said the red-eyed one from her other side.

"But it matters not to you," the green-eyed one she had ran into said. "You will not find the Striaton gym leaders there, and your mother has already informed Professor Juniper. You are needed elsewhere."

"Why should I believe you?" White spat back at them.

"What reason would we have to lie? We can take you away regardless," the red-eyed one said.

"Don't think I'm going to just let you!" White shouted. "Now get out of my _way_!"

She menacingly drew her Excadrill and Samurott's Pokéballs, ready for a battle, but the two ninjas at her sides held her arms down with astonishing strength.

"You will later thank us for this," the green-eyed one said, and, in the next moment, White's world was consumed by darkness.


	9. Chapter 8: Shades of Grey

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 8: Shades of Grey

The first thing White felt was sand beneath her feet. Within a few moments, the smell of pungent salt and sound of crashing tides reached her brain. As she struggled to regain balance and her vision returned to report a heavy fog, she vaguely wondered what had happened to her shoes when the Shadow Triad took her to this beach.

"The Shadow Triad!" she shouted aloud as sense rapidly inundated her. She quickly glanced around in the dense haze, somewhat disconcerted at their sudden lack of presence. "Where did you guys go?"

"…We are here," a cold voice said, as a shadowy green-eyed face emerged from the thick mist.

"We have but one more thing to ask of you…" came an identical voice from her left.

"Get the hell away from me!" White fiercely commanded, sending out Excadrill and Samurott, who let out vehement cries and stood ready for battle.

"There is no need for that," said a voice on her right, whose speaker, White was surprised to find, had his blue eyes focused on her Pokémon, rather then White herself.

"We have but one thing to ask you," the red-eyed one repeated.

"Then ask your damn question and leave!" White ordered, not in the least reassured.

"We must know… Trainer White, do you still possess the three orbs we gave to you in our last encounter, on the Marvelous Bridge?"

"I… what?" White stammered, rather caught off guard by the question. For a brief time after receiving them, she had pondered endlessly over the three mysterious objects, but all the information she had unearthed about them was their names: the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous Orbs, and that they had once belonged to some legendary Pokémon many years ago. Eventually conceding the fact that actually no one in all of Unova knew much as to their purpose, White had allowed them to fall to the bottom of her bag, and, in truth, had not thought about them in over a year.

"Time is limited," the blue-eyed on said.

"We need an answer now," the green-eyed one said.

"Yes, I've still got them, okay?" White shouted, eager to ward off the disconcerting trio of darkness. "I haven't done anything with them! They're still in my bag!"

Before she had even finished, however, the Shadow Triad nodded at her and disappeared into the mist. Somewhat perplexed, and with a renewed interest in the ancient orbs, White slowly began to head away from the sound of the waves with Samurott and Excadrill at her side. She squinted and waved her arms forward, attempting to penetrate the obscuring fog.

"What do ya think, guys?" she asked her Pokémon. "Where do you think we are?"

Excadrill let out a dismissive "I dunno" cry, while Samurott remained thoughtfully silent. After a few more moments, Samurott cried in a frightened-yet-determined manner that generally preceded battles, then briefly performed a Blizzard attack.

"You mean to say…" White slowly said as she interpreted Samurott's actions. "That this is where we fought the battle you learned Blizzard for?" When Samurott gave an affirmative cry, she went on. "So, where we fought Cynthia? So, near-ish Undella Town? I suppose that makes sense, given the beach, but I don't think I've ever seen it this foggy. I mean, seriously, I can barely see ten feet ahead of me."

Far before she had managed to discern anything through the chilly haze, White began to hear angry shouts ahead. It suddenly crossed her mind that Cheren might be up ahead, if they were in fact near Undella, and that Cipher agents could easily have also targeted this area. Appreciating her own decision to keep Excadrill and Samurott out, she gradually increased her pace and raised her guard.

"…this place! You are unwelcome here!" a powerful female voice called out.

"Ma'am, please understand the situation. We just want this boy for questioning. He was at the site of the attack, after all. We have legitimate reasons to be suspicious," came another's voice, which somehow managed to surpass the other's in volume without sounding angry or violent. "Please just comply with us, and we shall leave."

At these words, White redoubled her pace towards the town ahead, the outline of which was steadily becoming more defined. She glanced down out her Pokémon, both of whom were looking up at her with concern as they hurried through the fog at her side.

"You don't expect to be able to defeat us all, do you?" rang out a voice White immediately identified as Cheren's cool tone, which seemed to shake just slightly with what White recognized as well-suppressed anger. "There are far more of us than you. It doesn't matter if you have Pokémon who were turned into heartless machines. We'll defeat you, if you dare to try to fight us."

Sensing the increasing hostility, White quickened her stride even further, desperately hoping to reach the sight of the ongoing confrontation. Her nerves began to build up rapidly; how far away could she possibly be?

"I do not know what you mean by this," the second voice returned. "We hardly would like to kidnap you. We would very greatly appreciate your cooperation. However, if worst comes to worst, I am afraid we will have no choice but to use force. And I assure you, if we must do so, we will not fail."

At this, White broke into an all-out sprint, as her Pokémon barely managed to keep up. The moment the buildings finally came clearly into her view, she leapt forward as powerfully as she could, skidding into place next to a tall blonde woman she recognized as the former Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, the apparent source of the first voice, who was standing beside Cheren at the head of a large crowd that seemed to consist of the entire populations of Lacunosa Town, Undella Town, and Black City. Cynthia looked at White and her Pokémon in surprise, but White spoke up before the legend expert had a chance to ask anything.

"Cheren!" White exclaimed, fighting to catch her breath. "What's going on? You gonna need some help?"

"Wh-White?" Cheren yelled out, looking around Cynthia, clearly caught of guard. "What are you doing here?"

"I-" White began, but Cynthia promptly cut her off.

"Never mind that now. We can catch up later. We have these guys to worry about right now," she hastily insisted, gesturing towards the noticeably smaller opposing crowd, which consisted of several trainers dressed in brown trench coats, and was led by tall man in a dark red robe who rather reminded White of the other Cipher Admin who had attack her and her friends in midair on Kyurem. As White turned her eyes to him, he took a step forward and raised a hand, drawing the crowds' focus from White to himself.

"Will everyone just calm down and listen to reason for just a moment?" he called out in his loud-yet-calm voice. "We do not wish to kidnap this man. He, and, if she is who I believe she is, this young lady were present at the scene of a terrorist attack. We wish to take them in for questioning. Is that not reasonable? Do none of you wish to locate the ones who did this to your own Pokémon League? Surely, you-"

"Oh, cut the crap, will you?" White interpolated, rather more irritated at this Cipher Admin's calm and formal air than she had been at the other Admin's angry and vindictive one. "I know you're a Cipher Admin, and I don't doubt that you had the Shadow Triad bring me to you 'cause you're too lazy to hunt me down yourself. You wanna stop us from spreading the word about your organization, but I think it's pretty obvious that you've failed that here. You're way outnumbered, and three of us here are among the best trainers in the world. So leave now, with your Pokémon still at full health, or get kicked out by us, with all your Pokémon knocked out. Your choice."

The Cipher Admin stared unfathomably at White, his face partially obscured by the swirling mist. Finally, after several moments of nearly tangible silence, he made a resigned noise in the back of his throat.

"Very well, then," he slowly said. "If you insist on being this way, we will retreat. However, know that you have invoked Cipher's wrath. The Shadow Lords are unlikely to take this lightly."

"Um, sir-" one of the trench coat-clad trainers to his right began, but the Cipher Admin held up his hand to silence him.

"Their words are true; only a fool would believe otherwise. This is but a small battalion of Cipher agents- and don't look at me that way," he suddenly interjected, rounding on the peon who had spoken up. "They clearly know what this is- and such a small battalion would not stand a chance against this moderately-sized militia. However!"

With an equally abrupt turn, he faced White directly and gazed intently at her, as though he meant to convey something tacit in his next words. "As a whole, Cipher has your people outmatched. Unless you can raise all of Unova into an organized army before sundown, it will find and destroy you, and your nation will become its."

Then, before White could begin the defiant retort that rose to her lips, the Cipher Admin turned to his peons and spoke in his seemingly-magnified voice.

"Cipher peons! We leave this place! Take to the skies!"

With these words, he withdrew two Pokéballs: black Cipher-style one as well as a standard red-and-white one. Though he dramatically sent out his Flygon from the black one, he, under the cover of the cries of all the Cipher agents' flight-capable Pokémon, subtly, yet very deliberately, dropped the normal Pokéball; so subtly, White thought, that it almost seemed as though he didn't want it to be seen. However, her attention was quickly diverted from the Pokéball as, in rather awe-inspiringly perfect formation, the agents of Cipher flew into the heavily misted air, led by the Admin and his Flygon, who brilliantly lit up the sky with a Flamethrower attack.

After a few moments of silence, in which Samurott glanced inquiringly up at White and she shrugged in response, an unfamiliar voice spoke up from the other side of Cheren, hidden from White's vision.

"So, does this mean we've won the battle? What should we do now?"

The moment these words were spoken, a spell seemed to be broken, and much of the crowd broke into tumultuous shouts. However, Cynthia turned and stepped back to address the crowd and take charge. In doing this, she gave White a glimpse of the initial speaker: an old man with a brown hat on his balding head, a cane in one gnarled hand, and a Pokéball in the other. Despite his age, he possessed a kind of resilience and conviction that reflected a much younger self.

"Everyone, please!" Cynthia called out, raising a hand for silence. Gradually, the crowd's murmurs dies away. "We need someone to take over here! You, sir, Mr.…"

"Zillion Riches is my name," answered the old man. "You may call me Zillion. And I'd be happy to take charge of this militia here, if you would just tell me our general plan of action."

"Thank you, Mr. Zillion," Cynthia beamed. "As for now, you just need to fortify yourselves wherever you can, and assure that you will be aware if these people return. If we need you to join us, I shall send Braviary here with a note of our location. Now, White, Cheren, and I must go-"

"Wait!" White cut in. "You don't have to come to Nimbasa with us, Cynthia. Most gym leaders are staying with their towns to lead, and I figured you'd stay here for these people. I mean, not that I wouldn't want you to come with us, it's just that I didn't think we should leave this place without a leader, and, well, it's not exactly like we _need_ you, I mean you'd certainly be a good help, but-"

"White!" Cheren in turn interrupted, disrupting White's ranting. "I have requested that Cynthia go with us to Nimbasa City so she may examine Claire's Pokémon, Februa. She thinks she may know something about it, based off of my descriptions, and would like to meet it and Claire to be certain."

"Oh," White mumbled, a bit embarrassed at her rambling. "Okay then. I guess that works."

At that moment, as her eyes discomfitedly shifted to the ground, she again caught sight of the Pokéball the Cipher Admin had dropped. Her brief humiliation instantly forgotten, she swiftly swept down and picked up the red-and-white capsule, examining it closely for any suspicious indications.

"What's that? Where'd you get that?" Cheren abruptly asked, evidently just turning around.

"That Cipher Admin dropped it," White nonchalantly stated, not taking her eyes off the Pokéball. Then, deciding it was really just a normal Pokéball, she made to click it open, but Cheren suddenly knocked it from her hand.

"Don't open it!" he yelled, looking as shocked as if White had suggested she intended to swallow it. "It could easily be dangerous!"

"Come on, Cheren, shouldn't we at least see what it is?" White said, somewhat irritated, as she picked the Pokéball back up. "What if it turns out to be something really helpful?"

"Or what if it turns out to be a weapon he left for us to set off?" Cheren shouted, bordering on panic.

"Cheren, chill out," White told him, rather surprised at his break from his usual calm demeanor. "What's with you today? First you're all cold and distant; like, unusually so, and now you're so panicky that you don't even want to look into a possible lead against Cipher. You didn't get like this when we fought Team Plasma."

For a few moments, Cheren's face reflected the surprise of White's own. However, he quickly shook it off, seeming to dispel with it his hysteria.

"I am sorry…" he murmured. "You're right; we may as well at least open it. But do it carefully, and quickly. We do need to leave soon."

Though still somewhat disconcerted about Cheren, White decided to let it go for the time being and instead turned to her Pokémon.

"Worst case scenario, most likely, there'll be a Shadow Pokémon in there that attacks us," she warned them. "Be ready for one."

As her Pokémon readied themselves, White held the Pokéball at arms length, facing it away from herself and the crowd, and clicked it open. Rather too slowly to seem entirely usual, a small flash of red light revealed a particularly miniscule Togepi. Samurott and Excadrill stepped in, eyeing the spike ball Pokémon cautiously, but it made no move whatsoever.

"I think it's unconscious!" White announced to no one in particular.

"Well, good, then," Cheren said before she could speak further. "I say you just hold onto it and we'll worry about it later."

White opened her mouth to suggest Cheren show more compassion, but quickly realized that they were indeed wasting far too much time for something as comparatively insignificant as an undersized Togepi dropped by a Cipher Admin. Instead she recalled the three Pokémon around her feet to their Pokéballs and withdrew that of her Archeops. As she sent out her Paleozoic bird Pokémon, Cheren mounted his Unfezant and Cynthia set a hand on her Braviary as she again spoke to Zillion Riches.

"You are prepared for what may arise?" she asked.

"Certainly. The region I my family hails from is rather prone to conflict, and it was wise to learn basic military strategy. We will be fine."

"Excellent," Cynthia said, with a nod of approval. "I rather think you are more qualified than I for this job. It's just as well that I am not going to be here to interfere."

With that, she leapt onto her Braviary, as White did her Archeops, and the three trainers took to the air. White relished the wind whipping her face as they soared westward, reflecting with no small amount of surprise that only the night before she had flown on Archeops to Lacunosa Town in much the same way, not knowing where N was, who Claire was, or even what Cipher was.

* * *

><p>Claire clung tightly to N's arm with her left hand as they pushed their way through the densely crowded streets of Castelia City so as to not lose him in the slightly frantic mob, while clutching Zweilous's Pokéball in her other hand to be prepared in the event of a sudden attack. Word of the bombing of the Pokémon League had evidently managed to reach the city, yet, without any Cipher agents to misdirect the citizens, wild stories had sprung up, and no one seemed to know what to believe. Claire hoped faintly that the truth would not be shot down as another random piece of chaotic guesswork.<p>

"This street! This is where the gym is!" N exclaimed as they made another sharp turn, cutting through another dense cluster of uneasy businessmen.

"N?" Claire tentatively asked, struggling to make her voice heard in the tumult. "Wh-what if Burgh isn't in the gym?"

"If that is the case… then I guess we'll just have to search the city for him," N admitted with a sigh.

"But this city is huge!" Claire cried. "It could take forever! We could easily keep missing him! And what if he goes back to the gym after we leave?"

"Well…" N said worriedly. "I'm sure some people will have seen him who can help us…"

He trailed off into apprehensive silence, leaving Claire still quite anxious. At last, after about a minute of trudging through the restless multitude in a tense and nervous silence, they reached the entrance to the Castelia Gym, where a particularly large number of people were closely gathered outside.

"Hello? Ma'am?" N asked, tugging on the sleeve of the nearest member of the group. "Do you know if Leader Burgh is in the gym right now?"

"Eh? Burgh? Course he's not here!" she grumpily replied. "Why'd you think we're all standin' out here if we're not waitin' for Burgh? We wanna know what's goin' on!"

"Oh… Well then…" N sadly murmured, his face reflecting the sinking feeling in Claire's gut. "I guess we'd better go search for him, Claire."

"W-wait, N," Claire said, seized by a sudden idea. "Wh-why don't I just w-wait here wh-while you go search the city for him? Th-that way if he comes back h-here I'll be able to tell him about Cipher, too."

"I… suppose that's probably the smartest thing to do," N agreed after a moment of thoughtful consideration. "If you're sure you'll be okay. Just be watchful of any possible Cipher agents."

"I-I will," Claire assured him, extending her arms out. "G-good luck. I'll find a way to let you know if he comes by."

"Thank you," N whispered as he dropped to his knees to return Claire's hug. "Good luck to you as well, my friend."

With these kind words, N let go of Claire and rushed off down the street, the same way they had been traveling. Claire was turning towards a vacant patch of sidewalk to sit upon when the full magnitude of her situation hit here: she was literally surrounded by complete strangers, and she knew that there were people after her who could easily be concealed in the crowd. Rather abruptly fully aware of the hundreds of pairs of eyes that, in her determination and focus on problems of a wider scope, she had managed to utterly ignore thus far, she was quickly doused in icy, paralyzing fear. She slowly shrunk into the empty spot next to the gym's entrance, trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible.

Instinctually, without much conscious thought, her hand fell to the pocket of her bag where she kept her Pokéballs and rifled through it. Her fingers met the Pokéball of Ardos's former Toxicroak, whom they had refrained from healing with the others so she could be more easily purified. Deciding now was as good a time as any, she withdrew the Toxicroak's and Februa's Pokéballs, and clicked each open.

The Toxicroak appeared sprawled out on her back in Claire's lap, lying creepily still in her dark aura, like a machine with its power shut off. Februa however let out a soft squeal at finding himself in such a dense crowd and rushed behind Claire's back.

"Feb, I was thinking," Claire whispered right by Februa's head, trying her hardest to ignore the stares she knew she was collecting. "Maybe, while we wait here for N or Burgh, we could try to purify her, and make her our friend?"

Though he still glanced apprehensively at the surrounding crowd, Februa met Claire's eyes and nodded. Smiling, yet inwardly nervous about the attention she was likely about to draw, Claire held up the unconscious poison mouth Pokémon by her armpits, keeping her dangerously venomous arms immobile.

"Ready?" Claire asked Februa, who again nodded in response, looking only at Claire and the Toxicroak intently. Then, shutting his vividly pink eyes, he let out his distinctive soft cry, and a pink aura emanated from him much like the Toxicroak's black one. The brilliant light slowly expanded towards the Shadow Pokémon in Claire's arms, until it finally touched the faint black glow.

Immediately, the darkness around the Shadow Pokémon intensified so greatly that it almost completely obscured its host, who suddenly was wrenched into full consciousness and began kicking and struggling with all her might. What had moments before been rather calm, peaceful ripples of shadow became sharply twisting and writhing currents of purest darkness that seemed to slash and tear at the invading aura of luminous pink. Slowly, very slowly, the pink light devoured the black shadows that clung to the Shadow Pokémon like a filthy plastic bag shaking in a windstorm. The Shadow Pokémon began shrieking horrible pained wails that never failed to break Claire's heart. Even so, she dutifully held the Shadow Pokémon as still as she could manage as Februa's glow gradually tore away at the dark veil.

"Girl, what are you doin' to that Pokémon?" one of the onlookers finally shouted, but Claire refused to allow her focus to be taken from the Pokémon in her arms. She knew all they would see was a Pokémon flailing in apparent agony, but she didn't think she could have begun to explain what was happening if she tried.

Then, at last, the final bit of darkness flared up violently, rending the pink light that had now almost totally enveloped the Shadow Pokémon. Then it too was swallowed, and, as the Shadow Pokémon let out one last shriek, the spectacular battle of light that only Claire and Februa could see finally ended.

Toxicroak fell slack in Claire's arms, yet now she breathed easily and stirred slightly, feeling much more like an unconscious living being than a powered-down mecha. Claire sighed with relief and held out a hand to Februa, who was breathing heavily from the intense effort of using the move Purify. The purification Pokémon slowly floated over to Claire and laid down against her chest.

"You did wonderfully, Feb," Claire happily praised, stoking his head. "Oh! Now that you know Heal Pulse, you could restore Pokémon too full health too after you-"

"Girl, you better stop talkin' to your Pokémon and start explainin' just what the hell you did to that Toxicroak," the same stranger suddenly ordered. Claire squealed and flinched, having almost completely forgotten about the dense crowd waiting outside the gym. She frantically searched for the proper words to form an explanation and attempted to force them out of her mouth.

"Th… They… Sh-she was Sh-Shadowed… I-I… I p-pur… purified… I…" she spluttered and gasped, painfully aware of how guilty she looked, yet helplessly frozen under the gaze of countless accusing strangers. She prayed to Arceus for something, anything, to disrupt the strangers' intense stares. Thus, for the first time in her life, she was genuinely happy to hear the cold, condescending tone that had otherwise always seemed to appear only at the least opportune moments.

"Well, hello, Claire," Triton sarcastically simpered. "What are the odds of meeting you here?"


	10. Chapter 9: Prelude to Destruction

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 9: Prelude to Destruction

"Triton!" Claire shouted, her world suddenly empty aside from herself, her Pokémon, and her adversary. "H-how did you find me here?"

"Did I not just say it was a coincidence?" Triton mocked. "You need to listen better. I just happened to be here unrelatedly. I have more important concerns than beating you now."

"You aren't fooling me, Triton!" Claire threw back. "I know you tracked me here! How?"

"Really, Claire, even if I _did_ follow you here, which I didn't, why would I explain how?"

"Because I'm going to-" Claire began, but Triton dismissively cut her off.

"You know you _stole_ that Toxicroak, don't you? As always, you are no better than a common criminal. You didn't have the right to purify her either; all you did was hurt her and weaken her. A Pokémon who isn't even yours. How dare-"

"Sh-shut up right now, Triton!" Claire yelled, nearly shaking in anger. "H-how could you suggest that this poor Toxicroak should have remained with a bad trainer like Ardos? People like him don't deserve to have Pokémon, when all they do is hurt them and use them as tools!"

"You're problem is that he hurt her? And yet you hurt her far more than her true owner ever did by forcing her through purification? Is she really in better hands with you?" Triton bitterly countered, now scowling.

"Th-that's not even true!" Claire defiantly proclaimed. "Forcing her to become a Shadow Pokémon in the first place was twice as bad! And it left her unhappy all the time! Now she can be happy again!"

"You really believe that, don't you?" Triton mused. "Well then, perhaps this battle will make you see things more clearly!"

As quickly as a flash of lightning in a violent thunderstorm, Triton threw a Pokéball at his feet. Virtually simultaneously, Claire leapt back, sent the unconscious Toxicroak back into her Pokéball, and pointed for Februa to slide off her shoulders into battle.

"Machoke, Vital Throw!"

"Februa, Confusion!"

Machoke slowly and steadily drew back his fist, gazing intently at Februa, barely flinching as the Confusion attack knocked him back a few feet. He then threw a precise punch to Februa's side that Februa easily shook off.

"Again, Februa!" Claire called out before Machoke had even finished his attack. Triton sighed slightly before issuing his command.

"You were supposed to start with Zweilous…" he murmured. "But no matter: Payback, Machoke!"

Februa again blasted Machoke back a telekinetic pulse, but this time Machoke lunged forward and furiously beat the psychic dragon. By the time Februa managed to shake his attacker off, he could barely remain in the air.

"Februa's faster, Triton!" Claire tauntingly proclaimed. "This round is over! One more should do it, Feb!"

"Quickly! Hit another Payback!" Triton shouted, though a bit uncertainly. This command did in fact prove meaningless as Februa threw Machoke to his feet with another Confusion attack.

"…Impressive," Triton admitted. "Go, Staravia!"

"I know he's impressive, Triton!" Claire laughed. "You did great, Feb, now pull back! Go, Seel!"

The bird and the sea lion contemplated each other with narrowed eyes, each ready to strike on a split-second order. Claire, closely watching for any sort of tricks up Triton's sleeve, carefully selected her next move.

"Icy Wind, Seel!"

"Staravia, use Retaliate."

The starling Pokémon quickly sped towards Seel, striking her once with a powerful slashing jab of her beak. Determinedly ignoring the freely bleeding gash across her face, Seel let out a frigid breath at her foe that left her covered in frost.

"Hmm, how resilient," Triton remarked casually. "Finish her off with U-Turn, Staravia."

"No!" Claire cried out. "Hit first with Ice Shard, Seel!"

Before Staravia had a chance to move, Seel bombarded her with jagged pieces of ice that left cold slices across her chest. Struggling to stay airborne, Staravia soared down on Seel in a sort of crash landing before awkwardly gliding back to Triton on injured wings. Seel attempted to remain steady, but quickly collapse to the ground.

"Oh Seel! I'm so sorry!" Claire lamented, her heart raked with guilt and sadness. "Well, it's time for your first battle, Shelmet!"

"Go, Karrablast! Start off with Toxic!" Triton ordered, sending out Staravia's replacement.

"Um…" Claire mumbled, disconcerted by her lack of options. "I guess… Use Struggle Bug, Shelly!"

Karrablast easily ignored Shelmet's tentative attack and countered by spraying a dark toxic liquid. Shelmet wobbled nervously and attempted to attack again, but found herself unable to. Claire nervously bit her lip, worried that Shelmet's fear would overcome her, and that the loss of her first battle would only worsen her confidence. Then, fortunately, she was seized with a sudden idea.

"Now keep using Peck, Karrablast," Triton said self-assuredly.

"Shelly!" Claire called. "Use Bide! That way you don't have to move until you can work up the courage!"

Shelmet withdrew into her shell, bracing herself for the attack. Before Triton could revoke his command, Karrablast quickly hit Shelmet with two Peck attacks, injuring her rather thoroughly.

"Quickly, Shelly!" Claire cried out, quickly becoming more and more nervous as her Pokémon's poisoning grew worse and worse. "You'll be able to take him out in one hit! Just one hit will do it! I know you can!"

"Karrablast, stop, stop!" Triton yelled, but far too late. Karrablast did indeed stop and look inquiringly at his trainer, but, with his guard momentarily down, Shelmet managed to rush forward and tackle him with rather shocking power, knocking the clamping bug Pokémon out completely. However, Shelmet's poison wracked her entire body with clearly visible pain, and Claire knew it was time to recall her.

"What do you think of that, Triton?" Claire shouted as she recalled her newest friend. "That was her first battle ever, and she's only going to get even stronger!"

"That victory was more because of my mistakes than your Shelmet's strength!" Triton bitterly threw back. "Now go, Sneasel!"

"Your turn, Zweilous!" Claire shouted, throwing out her starter's Pokéball. "Hit her with Incinerate attacks!"

"Ice Shards, Sneasel! Keep hitting her with Ice Shards!" Triton countered.

The two dark-types lunged at each other, volleying attacks back and forth with incredible speed. Sneasel repeatedly pelted Zweilous with jagged ice, who returned with equally forceful jets of fire. The dark dragon was left with freezing gashes across her body, while the sharp claw Pokémon sustained significant burns.

Though Claire's teeth remained firmly clinched together throughout this rapid exchange of attacks, she continued to mentally offer warnings and suggestions, and was only slightly surprised to see Zweilous respond to them. As the as Zweilous's natural aura grew brighter, Claire could sense her Pokémon's love and gratitude, as though their souls had become linked in a very real way. As her own aura seemed to merge with Zweilous's, they moved, thought, and fought as one being, and, thus united, were able to defeat Triton and his Sneasel after a brief but intense duel of fire and ice.

"_Excellent job, Zwei!_" Claire commended without opening her mouth. _"Do you think you can take on the next one?"_

Not at all to Claire's surprise, she could clearly read Zweilous's thoughts flickering through the now-brilliant vermilion glow that surrounded her: _"I can take on anything he can throw at me."_

As Claire smiled and nodded, indicating for Zweilous to remain in the fray, Triton smirked and chuckled.

"I suppose it comes down to this, then," he mused. "Say hello to what is now my strongest Pokémon, after half a day of intense training. Go, Gyarados!"

Gyarados immediately stared down Zweilous with intense animosity, striking a stab of fear in the hearts of both the Pokémon and her trainer. Without even bringing the words to her mind, Claire envisioned Zweilous leaping forward with a double Dragon Breath attack, which the dark dragon hastened to perform. The two bursts of draconic energy rather potently shocked the atrocious sea serpent Pokémon. Triton, gazing with some apprehension at Claire and Zweilous's tacit communications, uncertainly issued his next command.

"Gyarados…" he murmured. "Hit her with Ice Fang."

Claire felt Zweilous's valiant effort to avoid the powerful attack, but Gyarados was simply too quick, and fiercely bit the small dragon with frigid fangs. The moment the crushing blow hit her Pokémon, Claire felt a sharp surge of pain, and their seemingly psychic connection was unceremoniously severed as Zweilous stumbled and fell unconscious, her aura faded to a barely visible hue.

"Z-Zweilous!" Claire cried out, wrenched back into full consciousness. "You'll pay for that Triton! Let's finish this, Graveler! Rock Blast!"

"Heh. Waterfall, Gyarados," Triton laughed, looking very relieved that Claire had resumed speaking.

As soon as Graveler hit the ground, he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging Gyarados's charging Waterfall attack. He then countered with a barrage of jagged rocks that pierced the scales of the sea serpent. With a vehement roar, Gyarados again charged forward with a surge of water. Graveler was not so lucky this time; Claire let out a gasp of shock as he flew several feet backwards, and knew to thank his Sturdy ability when he managed to weakly stumble to his feet.

"Grav, pull back!" Claire shouted over to him, though knowing it was a strategically unwise command. "At least let Feb heal you!"

But Graveler locked eyes with her for a moment before shaking head slightly and leaping back into the fray. His second wave of stones left Gyarados badly injured, but still very much awake. With another battle cry, she lunged forward once again, knocking Graveler fully unconscious.

Commending her friend's bravery, Claire sadly recalled her rock Pokémon and contemplated this final phase of the battle. She and Triton each had two injured Pokémon left. They had an unspoken agreement that it was strictly a single battle, so attempting to use Februa to heal Shelmet would likely draw objection from Triton, and she had, in truth, been half-counting on Graveler refusing to obey.

"Will you please just hurry up and send out your next Pokémon?" Triton drawled impatiently. Quickly taking Shelmet's bad poisoning into account, Claire hastened to withdraw Februa's Pokéball.

"Your turn again Februa! We've almost got this; you know what to do!"

"Check, Claire," Triton simpered. "Finish him off with an Ice Fang, Gyarados!"

Februa sped forward with remarkable speed and threw Gyarados back with a Confusion attack. When the sea serpent recovered, her eyes had slid out of focus, and she was rocking back and forth slightly.

"No! Stay focused, Gyarados!" Triton called out, noticing her confusion. "He's right in front of you!"

As soon as he said this, Claire was seized with an idea: "Circle around her, Feb, full speed! It'll further disorient her!"

Gyarados spun in circles, attempting to keep her eyes on the purification Pokémon as he rapidly swirled around her. She quickly lost her synchronization, however, and when she finally attempted to strike out with her icy bite, she merely smacked her face into the hard concrete. After swaying even more violently for a few seconds, she collapsed to the ground.

"Gyarados!" Triton angrily yelled. "You're better than that!"

"How unlucky, Triton," Claire softly giggled with a slight smirk. "Although better-trained Pokémon have fallen to confusion before, so I wouldn't let it bother you."

"Bah! You finish this, Staravia! Retaliate!" Triton bitterly spat.

With a split-second decision that broke her heat, Claire took the second in which Triton sent out his final Pokémon to switch Februa out with Shelmet. As a bug-type, she knew Shelmet would have stood no chance against Staravia anyway, so she couldn't afford to have Februa taken out with Staravia's double-strength Retaliate.

"I'm s-so sorry, Shelmet," Claire whispered as she sent her snail Pokémon out. "I promise I'll make this up to you somehow…"

Triton's starling Pokémon instantly swooped upon the bug-type, jabbing her sharply with her beak. Shelmet barely had time to register the attack before she was knocked out cold. With a rather heavy heart, Claire returned Februa to the field.

"This is it, Feb! Confusion!"

"Indeed, it is, Claire. U-turn, Staravia!"

Februa struck first; with a tackling motion, he blasted a pulse of psychic energy at Staravia. The bird was knocked spinning through the air, but just barely managed to recover. However, she regarded Februa with a dazed expression very similar to that of Gyarados's just a minute before. Claire bit her lip as she stared utterly still at the starling Pokémon, vaguely noting Triton doing precisely the same thing. The battle came down to this coin flip: would Staravia successfully attack, or hurt herself in confusion?

"Staravia…" Triton nervously muttered. "You can do this, Staravia, stay focused…"

"Y-you can avoid it, Feb…" Claire murmured, equally uneasy. "J-just move side-to-side…"

Then, quite suddenly, Staravia charged. She seemed to move in slow motion as she pelted downward at Februa, each millisecond dragging on for several minutes. Claire found herself physically incapable of moving, so great was the sheer tension. Although she was unable to wrench her eyes from the striking bird, she could easily tell that Triton was in such a state as well. She couldn't watch, and yet she couldn't look away. Surely the starling Pokémon would hit, surely Februa would be finished off, surely Triton had proven himself superior…

At last, after a second that seemed to last an hour, Staravia slashed Februa cleanly across the face with her talons and promptly turned at a sharply downward angle. Both Pokémon hit the ground in the same moment, and neither stirred afterward. A second passed in silence, and then another, and then…

"Well, I'd say that I won this round…" Triton whispered, but without much confidence, as he recalled his unconscious Staravia.

"H-hardly," Claire countered with just as much volume, likewise sending her own fainted Pokémon back into his Pokéball. "They b-both fainted. This was a tie…"

"Well… You only did even that good by sheer luck!" Triton proclaimed, regaining his arrogance and vehemence. "Next time, I'll easily crush you!"

"We'll just see about that, Triton," Claire mutter softly, plagued by a sudden twisting feeling in her gut. As Triton haughtily turned away and marched off into the crowd, Claire realized that she didn't want her rival to go. With all of her Pokémon unconscious and N still out searching for Burgh, Claire would be left to face the mob of strangers completely on her own, and Triton was at least a familiar face she could have fixated on.

Though she would never admit it, least of all to Triton, she secretly enjoyed their battles very much. He was the only person she was, in truth, even physically capable of taunting and shouting at without restraint, and she actually liked receiving taunts and shouts from him as well. Also, as their tied match exemplified, he was a perfect match for her in terms of strength, skill, and wit. All in all, being with him made her feel alive, and… _free_, in away she had never known before. She didn't know what to make of it.

She suddenly remembered her rather inexplicable connection to Zweilous's aura. It had happened so naturally that she had barely noticed it until it had ended. She had no idea what had caused it, and doubted that she could consciously do it again. In recollection, she realized that Triton had seemed unsettled, frightened, possibly even saddened, by Claire and Zweilous's psychic link. She wondered how he had interpreted Claire's sudden silence and Zweilous's continued attacks. Was it possible, that maybe he was missing Claire's shouts and taunts, as Claire herself would have had Triton similarly connected to his own Pokémon?

Claire then blinked, and was moderately surprised to find herself in a cleared area of a street surrounded by a massive crowd of onlookers, who had evidently made space for her battle with Triton. She couldn't quite tell how long had passed since Triton had walked away, but based on the spectators continued shocked silence, it didn't seem to have been long.

Weakening under the gaze of so many strangers, Claire again found herself begging that Triton or N or possibly even White would return, so she wouldn't be so completely alone in the midst of unfamiliar people. And, also once again, her prayers were answered in not quite the way she had anticipated.

"Hey everyone! Burgh's back! He's right there!"

At these words, a spell seemed to be broken, and every eye shifted from Claire to search for the bug-type gym leader. More in hope of finding N with him than getting to Burgh himself, Claire attempted to push her way through the people, trying her hardest to imagine that they were trees, towards the source of the voice that had announced the gym leader's presence. After a good amount of effort, she finally caught sight of the rather glamorously dressed gym leader.

"M… Mister B-Burgh…" she stammered, attempting to gather all of her courage. "M-Mister Burgh, I h-have s-something to t-tell you…"

However, due the noisy clamor of the entire crowd, Claire knew that Burgh was not going to hear her tiny voice. She frantically tried to draw his attention, but he merely continued surveying the massive crowd with an expression of mild surprise.

"Hey now! Can I get you to all quiet down for a bit?" Burgh called out in a calm yet very clear voice. Within a few seconds, the vast throng ceased its avid questioning and listened eagerly for any sort of news. Although Claire realized she could now make herself easily heard, the silence made it infinitely more difficult to speak aloud. While she grappled with her words, Burgh spoke up again.

"Right, now I've received a-"

"Leader Burgh!" came a familiar voice from far across the sea of Castelians. "Leader Burgh! I have important information for you!"

"Mm-hmm? Who's this, now?" Burgh inquired. "Who's got this important info?"

At these words, murmurs began to run through the crowd again as someone apparently made their way towards the front. Claire searched for the source of the commotion, hoping desperately that it was what she thought it was. Thus, it was with incredible relief that she saw her green-haired friend pushing through the crowd, finally stopping to catch his breath in the space cleared out for Burgh in front of the gym door.

"Leader Burgh!" N called out again as he ran forward. "It is I! I have information!"

"Well now…" Burgh murmured, raising his eyebrows with mild surprise. "If I remember, your name is… N, am I right? Reformed former king of Team Plasma? Whatever could bring you back here, hmm?"

"That is… correct," N panted. "I have information regarding the attack on the Pokémon League and loss of communications and-"

But here, Claire tentatively walked to his side and tugged on his hand, wanting to alert N to her presence. N jumped as he looked down at Claire, as though he had half-forgotten she was waiting at the gym.

"Claire!" he shouted, remaining oblivious to the crowd's stares. "Oh good, you're still here! Shall we tell Burgh of Cipher together, then?"

"Y-you can do it," Claire whispered, rather grateful that N had arrived in time to spare her from having to speak to Burgh herself.

N nodded with a smile of understanding and turned back to Burgh, but Claire did not hear what he then said. Her thoughts drifted back to Triton. The abruptness of his appearance again struck her, and she wondered how and why he had showed up. All he had done with her was battle, and he had left soon afterward, so perhaps he was in fact there for a different purpose. But what could that purpose be? Maybe it had something to do with the "friends" who had brought him to Unova? Could he possibly be in league with…?

No. That just couldn't be true. She wouldn't allow herself to think such things. Cipher would never allow someone so young to join, even if they were as skilled as Triton. Triton just couldn't be. Arrogant and sharp-tongued as he was, Claire knew he was a good trainer who cared about Pokémon, and would agree to join Cipher just as soon as they would allow it. She didn't know what she'd do if he was. He just couldn't be…

A slight push on her shoulder disrupted her thoughts. "Claire? Are you ready?"

"Huh? To leave? What did Burgh say?" Claire asked in response.

"He believes us and agreed to prepare Castelia City for a battle. So yes, now we leave for Nimbasa."

"O-okay… Good…" Claire stuttered. "E-except… While I was waiting, T-Triton showed up… and he fought me. We actually ended up tying, but all my Pokémon got knocked out. D-do you have any revives or anything?"

"_Triton_? Really? That's… odd. But never mind him now. I'm afraid I don't have revives, but there'll be a Pokémon Center in Nimbasa City you can use. There's one here, but I'm not sure where, and it might take even longer to get to than Nimbasa's."

"Oh, r-right! Okay, let's g-go on then!" Claire agreed, inwardly smacking herself for forgetting about Pokémon Centers. As she and N ran off to a vacant spot large enough to hold Zekrom, Claire glanced back at Burgh, who was now speaking to the crowd. She deeply hoped that he would be able to reach everyone in the city. They would need all the help they could get.

The air crackled with electricity as Zekrom was released from his Pokéball. N swiftly scaled onto his back, and turned to pull Claire up after him. All ignorant of the stares they were collecting, the three crusaders soared into the sky to make plans for the inevitable war.

Archeops gracefully touched down in the middle of Nimbasa's now densely-crowded streets, closely followed by Unfezant and Braviary. With equal grace, White leapt to the ground and recalled her prehistoric bird. After assuring that Cheren and Cynthia were following her, she began to run towards the Pokémon Center, deciding that it would be the most logical meeting place. She attempted to fight down the panic that rose up in her gut when she thought of N. She didn't know what she would do if he had been captured by Cipher or… something worse.

"_Actually, I know exactly what I would do,_" White thought bitterly. "_I would hunt those bastards down and murder them._"

But she still tried to dispel such thoughts. They were irrelevant, she assured herself, because N was surely fine, surely waiting in the Pokémon Center, just as worried about her as she was about him. They would reunite and express their relief and exchange their stories and prepare for war. Everything would be just fine.

"White! Hold up!" Cheren called out from a several feet back, pushing his way through the crowd. Jolted out of her thoughts, White stopped a bit impatiently to allow her companions to catch up. The moment they reached her, she seized their wrists and dragged them forward with her customary haste.

"Come on, quick! I wanna see if N, and Bianca and everyone is all right!"

Neither hearing nor caring what Cheren murmured in response, White plowed onward to the Pokémon Center. A few people she passed recognized her or Cheren or Cynthia and attempted to stop them to ask for details about their plans, but White waved them away with slight irritation. She knew she was being a bit rude, but she couldn't afford to stop and speak to each Nimbasian individually. She had to reach the Pokémon Center…

And finally, after far too long, she did. Releasing Cheren and Cynthia's hands, she rushed inside, and was flooded with blissful relief at the sight of N, Claire, and Bianca sitting at a table, apparently uninjured. Bianca, being the only one facing the door, immediately rose with her usual gigantic smile and quickly stumbled her way towards her friends.

"Ch-Cheren! White! You made it okay!"

Finally reaching them, she promptly threw her arms around Cheren's shoulders. Cheren returned with one of his usual awkward hugs. When she drew back, White noticed tears just barely forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I was really worried about you especially, Cheren. We had no idea if you'd been attacked or not, but when knew Cipher had taken lots of the north, which was where you were going first, so we were so worried."

White inwardly chuckled at Bianca's blatant affection, and again wondered just how much longer it would take her two friends to just make it official. She then made to approach N, but Bianca violently hugged her too before she could take more than a step.

"Oh, but I worried about you too, White!" she insisted. "I mean, I knew you could take care of yourself and fight off anyone but still, there could've been a lot of Cipher people south too, 'cause that's where we originally were, so I was still worried."

"I'm fine, B, really," White assured her as she pulled away. "We're all here, now, aren't we? Everything's fine."

"Wait…" Cheren began concernedly. "What about the Champion? I mean, Alder. Where's Alder?"

"He hasn't showed up yet," Bianca said sadly. "We know he was headed to the places with the most Cipher people, so we think he might be in some trouble there…"

White, relatively confident that the resilient Champion would fare well against a thousand Cipher agents, did not allow this information to perturb her. Instead, she turned back to hurry to N, and nearly smacked directly into him when she found that he had walked over to her while Bianca had been crushing her. Before White could fully recover from her momentary surprise, N pulled her into a hug that but Bianca's to shame.

"White! You do not have any idea how glad I am to see you!" he half-shouted. "I was very much worried when I saw you and Reshiram and Bianca fall, but was greatly relieved when Claire and I met Bianca in Driftveil City and she informed us that you were okay. All the same, it is still very nice to see you in person. What has happened to you?"

"Me? What's happened to you? How did you end up with Bianca in Driftveil?" White asked, a bit more snappishly than she really meant to.

"I suppose we all need to exchange stories, so we all know the full situation," N conceded. "I guess I will go first."

White collapsed into the seat beside N's, suddenly realizing how exhausted she was. Bianca returned to the seat across from her, and Cheren fell into the seat to the right of that. Claire lean forward from the other side of N and waved to White, who smiled and high-fived the young trainer. Cynthia, who had thus far remained thoughtfully silent, pulled up a chair to the end of the table just beside White.

With all the trainers thus seated, N launched into his tale. He explained that, after the midair duel, Zekrom and Claire had fallen into the Twist Mountain Range, while N had managed to land in the water a bit to the east. He told how they had hidden themselves in a cave, and how Februa had saved them by learning Heal Pulse and mending Claire and Zekrom's extensive injuries. He recounted reuniting with Bianca in Driftveil, and the three of them teaming up with Clay to fight off the Cipher Admin who had attacked them. Finally, he described dropping Bianca off in Nimbasa to warn Elesa while he and Claire went on to Castelia to meet Burgh. White gasped and cheered continually throughout the story.

"So it's confirmed that everywhere south of Driftveil has been warned, and north has been taken?" Cheren asked.

"We believe so," N replied. "At least in the west. What's the status of the east and south?"

"Lacunosa Town has been occupied," Cheren stated, sounding somewhat ashamed of himself. "I managed to warn everyone there, but a large regiment of Cipher agents arrived too quickly, and we had to retreat to Undella Town, so Cipher couldn't actually capture anyone. Once in Undella, I told Cynthia here what's happening, and she agreed to help. While she made sure everyone from Undella and Lacunosa was completely informed, I hurried to Black City for reinforcements. Fortunately, everyone their acted quickly and rationally, so we were able to return just before Cipher invaded Undella. By that point, we had far more trainers than they did, but they still seemed ready to fight. But then White showed up, kind of out of nowhere, and then they decided to retreat."

At this, Cheren turned to White. "How did you get to Undella Town, anyway?"

Taking a deep breath, White recounted that, after she and Bianca had recovered from the fall and split up, she had informed Lenora about Cipher. While the normal-type gym leader had led the people of Nacrene City to stop the small Cipher troop that had begun invading the south, White had hurried on to Striaton City, but had been intercepted by none other than the Shadow Triad.

"Th-the _Shadow Triad_?" N incredulously exclaimed. "B-but if the Shadow Triad is with Cipher, th-then that means that Gh… Ghet…"

But here N fell into a kind of stupor, slowly shaking his head with eyes wide with fear. Sharp claws raked White heart at the sight of him. Desperate to help, she tentatively put her arm around his shoulders, but drew back with alarm when N lashed out, nearly striking her face. It seemed to pull him back to the present, however, because he shook his head and his eyes slid back into focus.

"I… I'm sorry…" he muttered, apparently unaware of almost hitting White and merely referring to his spacing-out. "J-just bad memories… Continue, please, White. What did the Sh-Shadow Triad want?"

"Well…" White began, still rather shaken. "They told me that my mom and Professor Juniper had already taken care of warning the people of Nuvema Town, Accumula Town, and Striaton City, and that I was needed somewhere else. I guess they were right, because it sounds like some major shit was about to go down in Undella before I showed up. They didn't seem to be lying about my mom and everything, and it'd make sense, so I guess that means all of southern Unova is ready.

"But anyway, before I could do any more than take out two Pokéballs, they grabbed me by my arms and warped me to the beach a little ways south of Undella. Then they asked me if I still had those orb thingies they gave me like two years ago, and then when I told them I did they just left."

"Orbs? What orbs?" N asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, all I managed to figure out about them back then was that they're called the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous Orbs, and that-"

"_What? _You have the Orbs of the Creation Trio?!" Cynthia suddenly shouted, hastily rising.

"Uh, I guess," White answered, rather taken aback. "Is that what they are?"

"Yes, yes! Oh, but you must show them to me!" Cynthia cried out, looking positively giddy.

"Sure…" White mumbled, reaching into the chaotic depths of her bag's "miscellaneous items" pocket. She felt around in the vast hyperspace that had expanded beyond its normal extended size due to the sheer number of items she had crammed into it. Finally, after reaching in almost to her armpit, her hand met a cool, smooth, rounded surface, which she seized and pulled out from the dark recesses of her pocket.

"I think this is the… um… Lustrous Orb!" she proclaimed, attempting to sound a bit more informed than she had initially come off as. As Cynthia stared at the faintly glowing stone, White reached back into her bag and felt her fingers touch a slightly less smooth, somewhat warmer object. After hoisting it back out and identifying it as the Adamant Orb, she felt around again for the final artifact. When her fingers met the rough, hard surface, a deep chill ran down her spine, and it was with a small amount of reluctance that she dragged the Griseous Orb out.

"Well, these are the Orbs," White stated, waving a hand in front of Cynthia's astounded face. "Now will you tell me what the hell they do?"

"The… They belong to the Creation Trio, who are quite possibly the most powerful legendary Pokémon in existence," Cynthia breathlessly went on, a manic, nerdy gleam in her eyes. "Legends say that they were the first Pokémon created by Arceus after he emerged from nothingness. The Adamant Orb belongs to Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon, who created time; the Lustrous Orb, to Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon, who created space; and the Griseous Orb, to Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, who created matter and antimatter. The Orbs enhance the power of their true owners, but will have no effect on any other Pokémon. They were actually held by the Trio for many centuries after the creation of the world, at least until the decline of the Mew population, that much is clear, but some mythologists theorize that they were for a long time simply at rest atop Spear Pillar, which is to say, the summit of Mount Coronet, the highest point in Sinnoh. I myself think that is rather unlikely, though I do not dismiss it, seeing as there is evidence that a tribe there worshipped some artifacts, but I just doubt they were truly the Orbs. Anyway, no one is certain exactly what happened to them, but they definitely vanished sometime around the first appearance of the Unown. My own theory is-"

"Cynthia!" White finally shouted, feeling dizzy under the weight of the information Cynthia had piled onto her. "Please, slow down! Give us some time to take this in!"

"Oh…" Cynthia muttered, blushing deeply. "I… was ranting, wasn't I? I'm very sorry, I just… love legends. They're so fascinating!"

"Erm, yeah," White cut in before she could go off on another tangent. "So, let me make sure I've got the important stuff. These Orbs belong to three legendary Pokémon from Sinnoh who built the world. They make them stronger. At some point the Orbs vanished, and Ghet-"

Catching sight of N's slight flinch, White quickly amended her sentence. "And Team Plasma ended up with them. Then, the Shadow Triad delivered them to me, someone who had no idea what they are, and so for the past two years they've been laying at the bottom of my bag. And now, they're suddenly interested in them again."

"I think that summarizes it," Cynthia agreed. "But I really wonder how this Team Plasma wound up with these Orbs. I can't imagine how they would have ended up in Unova, unless someone from Plasma went to Sinnoh… but how did they ever find them? For years mythologists and treasure hunters have sought them to no avail; who could have possibly managed it?"

"No idea," White said bluntly. "And, as interesting as all of this is, we've got bigger problems to deal with right now. So, let's worry about these later."

And, with these words, she swept the Orbs back into her bag, not missing Cynthia's pained expression. She promised to let Cynthia examine them as closely as she liked as soon as they weren't on the verge of an international crisis.

"Cynthia," Cheren suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you examine Februa now, and tell us anything you might know about him?"

"Oh yes! Certainly!" Cynthia exclaimed, moving over to the other side of the table. When she reached Claire, she knelt down and held her hand out.

"We haven't been properly introduced. Hello, my name is Cynthia. And you?"

"C-Claire," Claire mumbled, reluctantly shaking Cynthia's hand. She avoided eye contact and remained silent for a few seconds before Cynthia opted to speak next.

"Well, as you could no doubt tell, I'm something of an expert on legends," Cynthia explained. "And, if your Pokémon truly is a Februa, I should be able to tell, and then I can inform you about the stories surrounding his species. May I see him?"

"S-sure…" Claire whispered, focusing intently on retrieving Februa's Pokéball. Once she released Februa, she held him closely and said something softly to him before placing him in front of Cynthia.

"Hmm…" Cynthia hummed slowly, observing Februa from all sides. "He certainly fits the physical descriptions perfectly. I have a couple more tests, though."

With that, she withdrew a Pokéball and sent out her Lucario. After looking at Februa for under a second, Lucario squinted and turned sharply away.

"That bright, huh?" Cynthia mused. "That's certainly a good sign. Try to watch, though; I'd like to try one more thing."

Then, turning back to the other trainers, she asked "By any chance, would any of you happen to have one of these Shadow Pokémon? It's fine if you don't, I have other means of testing-"

"Actually, I think I might!" exclaimed White, suddenly recalling the minute Togepi that the Cipher Admin had dropped. "That Cipher Admin dropped this Pokéball as he flew away. There's a tiny Togepi inside, but it's unconscious, and I can't very well tell if it's a Shadow or not anyway. But yeah, it might be."

Shutting herself up before she could ramble on aimlessly further, White threw the Pokéball onto the table, so that the Togepi lay in the middle of the trainers. It appeared even smaller and more helpless than it had looked at first sight. Grimacing slightly in pity, White turned to Claire.

"Well, Claire? Is it a Shadow Pokémon?"

"I… I think so…" she whispered. "It's k-kinda hard to tell when they're unconscious, c-cause their light fades a lot… but his glow looks kinda dark…"

"Well there you have it!" White said to Cynthia. "I think I've got an idea of what you've got planned."

"Good, good," Cynthia beamed. "Now, Februa, could you please purify this Togepi?"

Februa glanced nervously at Cynthia before turning to Claire. Claire smiled encouragingly and nodded once, reaching for the Togepi. Holding the spike ball Pokémon tightly to her chest, she nodded for Februa to begin.

White, expecting some sort of glow similar to Heal Pulse, was somewhat puzzled when nothing seemed to happen. Februa merely continued to gaze at the Togepi in Claire's arms. She opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong, but instead let out a scream of shock when the Togepi began struggling violently with pained wails. She, Cheren, and Bianca stood up, looking very alarmed, but N, Claire, and Cynthia seemed unperturbed.

"Is… Is that supposed to happen?" White shouted over the tortured screams of the Togepi. She glanced around the room and saw that everyone in the Pokémon Center was now staring at them with stunned faces.

"Yes," N sadly murmured, his voice barely audible. "Very unfortunately, the purification process is horribly painful. But the Pokémon say they feel infinitely happier and freer once it is over."

White merely bit her lip, still rather disturbed by the whole process. But then, no more than ten seconds after he had started, the Togepi ceased his screaming and fell completely still. White stared shakily as Claire slowly put the Togepi back into his Pokéball, walked up to the counter, and handed him to the nurse.

"C-could y-you please h-heal this T-Togepi?" she asked very quietly to the floor. The nurse, looking as bewildered as everyone else in the center, tentatively took the Pokéball and wordlessly set it in the healing machine. Claire took the Pokéball back in equal silence and scampered back to the table.

"That Togepi was a Shadow Pokémon," N announced to the room at large. "And he was just purified. I know the process looks painful, because it is, but he is now free again, and can feel emotion. Do not misjudge this girl and her Pokémon."

Apparently deciding that this cleared everything up, N turned back to the table. White attempted to shake off the shock and also faced Cynthia, who was speaking intently with her Lucario. After a few more moments, Cynthia nodded and recalled her aura Pokémon.

"Based on Lucario's descriptions of his aura and my own observations, I can conclude that there is little doubt that this Pokémon is indeed a Februa from old legends. I'm not sure what it is with this group and finding nearly impossible things, because it's been widely believed that the Februa population went extinct around seven to eight-hundred years ago, after declining for at least a century and a half. May I ask where you obtained this Februa?"

Claire made a small squeaking sound in the back of her throat, focusing deeply on Februa, whom she was now holding in her arms. After her customary three seconds of silence, she spoke to Februa.

"I… j-just found him as an egg one day… s-someone left him in a b-box in the woods north of m-my home… and I f-found him th-there…"

"Really?" Cynthia inquired, looking puzzled. "That's… very strange, to say the least. What did you do with his egg then?"

"…I-I just t-took it back to the P-Professor. H-he couldn't t-tell what the egg was… s-so I took c-care of it until it hatched… Th-that's really it…"

"Hmm…" Cynthia hummed again. "Very curious. Who is this Professor? Where was this all happening?"

"P-Professor Oak… In P-Pallet Town, K-Kanto…"

"Really? Samuel Oak? I'm surprised he didn't direct you to me. He knows how informed I am about myths."

"…I… I think he d-did…" Claire whispered, growing even quieter. "H-he told me about a m-myth lady t-to go to wh-who was in L-Lavender T-Town… b-but I… never made it there…"

"I was recently in Lavender Town!" Cynthia exclaimed. "What happened, though? Why didn't you make it? Did-"

"The Februa legends, Cynthia," White tersely interrupted, recalling the pain in Claire's eyes when they had discussed her past on Reshiram's back, only that morning. "_My Arceus, has it really only been a day?_" she thought somewhat nostalgically.

"Right, right," Cynthia agreed. "We must get this over with soon, so we may make plans. Put as concisely as possible, Februa were one of the first distinct species to descend from the initial Mew population. They evolved into a second form, Reinigen, though how is somewhat debated. Some theorize that they did have a third form, identified as Acrisolar, but if they did, almost none ever reached it. I myself think that there were just a few larger-than-average Reinigen. I know some say there was-"

"Concisely, please, Cynthia," White reminded her, as politely as she could manage.

"But of course. So anyway, Februa possessed the special talent of cleansing tainted waters and forests and mending wounds. As Februa, they were rather weak, and thus prone to fleeing, but as Reinigen they gained the strength comparable to some legendaries and would forcefully protect their homes and their young. Given specific aspects of their abilities, it's widely believed that most of them derived from the manipulation of auras. This, interestingly enough, suggests that they may have been the driving force behind the Second Great Migration, on account of-"

"Stay on topic, Cynthia," Cheren muttered before White even had the chance. Cynthia shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Right, sorry. What's probably most important is what was then the natural enemy of Februa and Reinigen: the Carien and its evolutions, the Verborden and Emponsolar. Widely believed to have been Dark/Poison, they savagely attacked just about any living thing. Most think they fed on blood or other fluids, but some evidence suggests to me- no, this is important!" Cynthia added, apparently catching sight of White's raised eyebrows.

"I myself think that they fed upon auras, as they have similar aura-sensitive traits as their counterparts. Also, some species they fed upon had nothing similar to blood. What's interesting and backs this theory up is the fact that they rarely killed their prey. Instead, they seemed almost vampiric; many stories claim that the prey of the Carien line would enter a savage state and attack anything that came near it. Rather like-"

"Shadow Pokémon!" White exclaimed, in perfect harmony with N and Cheren, as they all leapt up from their chairs.

"That makes perfect sense!" N cheered. "If Februa was the enemy of these things, then no wonder it has the ability to counter the state it could put Pokémon in! Since Shadow Pokémon are changed similarly, then certainly Februa can undo the damage!"

"Which most likely means that Cipher has somehow figured out what exactly the Carien line did, and are able to replicate the process to create Shadow Pokémon," Cheren slowly mused.

"While those are good theories," Cynthia began. "There's a slight problem. More of a complication, really."

"What? What is it?"all five trainers called out this time. With a deep sigh, Cynthia replied:

"Because, if the Pokémon was attacked by an Emponsolar, who by far killed the most, then Februa's line couldn't do anything. They would be corrupted for the rest of their lives."

These words were greeted with an incredibly tense silence.

"S-so that means…" Bianca began.

"…If Cipher figures out what made Emponsolar different from its prior forms…" Cheren continued.

"…Th-they'll b-be impossible to p-purify…" Claire finished in a whisper.

White glanced to each of her friends, seeing her own look of dread reflected on their faces. Several cruel seconds passed in utter silence.

"Well…" White finally said, her sense of urgency returning. "It's really about time we prepared for this battle."


	11. Chapter 10: Dusk

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 10: Dusk

"I don't like sunsets," N whispered idly as he gazed at the receding daylight from the height of the Ferris wheel. The fading light at such a crucial point in his struggles seemed ominous to him.

"Really?" White asked, apparently taken off guard. "Why not? They're so pretty."

"Their beauty is deceptive," N replied plainly. "They appear pretty, yes, but they bring about darkness, despair. I much prefer sunrises. They are just as pretty, and they bring light and hope."

"That… actually really makes sense," White said after a moment. "I've never thought of it that way."

N nodded absentmindedly and continued to watch the last of the natural light beginning to flee. He once again felt a twinge of apprehension when he ominously realized that the sun would now be reaching its highest point around Orre and Hoenn: the center of Cipher's empire. He let out a deep sigh, his dread of the approaching battle growing stronger.

"…You okay, N?" White asked some point later, making N jump slightly by resting her hand on his shoulder. His instinct was to pull away, but the contact was somehow calming, and he merely let it gradually ease his worry away. He determinedly wrenched his gaze from the falling star and turned to his friend White.

"…I am worried," he told her honestly. "I'm worried that Cipher might attack while we await responses from the cities allied with us. I'm worried that we won't be strong enough to stop Cipher's takeover. I'm worried that Cipher is already in the process of creating permanently corrupted Shadow Pokémon. And I'm worried that a lot of innocent Pokémon and people are about to get hurt because of me."

Though he had spoken calmly, by the time he had finished he was badly out of breath. His feared redoubled, he stared White in the eyes, feeling tears of panic and fear forming, silently begging her for reassurance.

"N, no person or Pokémon is ever gonna be hurt because of you," White said firmly, placing her right hand on his other shoulder. N flinched, but did not move away. "Tons are gonna be saved because of you. If any get hurt, it's Cipher's fault, not yours. All you're responsible for is protecting people and Pokémon from them. You got that?"

White's forceful conviction seemed to blast N's sadness away. The knowledge that, at the very least, White did not blame him for bringing Cipher to Unova shone like a bright, warm flame in his heart, dispelling the darkness of despair. With a soft whimpering sound, he threw his arms around White, who, after tensing up for a moment, leaned forward to link her hands behind his back.

"Th-thank you," N whispered with a quivering voice.

"N-no p-problem, N…" White murmured back, oddly equally shaky.

N remained there for a few moments longer, feeling surprisingly at ease. Breathing deeply and slowly, he inhaled White's aroma. Objectively speaking, he knew it was not very pleasant; it was the salty tang of sweat mixed with the earthy odor of dirt and trees and the dank scent that accompanied fog and mildew. Yet to him it seemed to nicely reflect White's tough personality, and he found that rather soothing.

After a few seconds, White stirred a bit uncomfortably, and N, worried that he had annoyed her, hastened to pull back. N was rather startled to see that the slight sunburn White had accumulated that day seemed to have suddenly intensified.

"White! Your face!" N cried out. "Was your sunburn always this bad? You look like you need a Burn Heal!"

To his alarm, White's burn seemed to grow even more severe as he spoke. White quickly looked away, attempting to hide her burn.

"I-it's not… not that bad," she muttered quietly. After breathing loudly for a couple seconds, she looked back up, with a face much less red. "See?"

N shook his head, trying to make sense of this aberration. Eventually, he merely decided it must have been a trick of the setting sun's light, and responded it with a tentative "Yes…"

White laughed softly at some joke unknown to N, but then turned to him and smiled, driving any questions he might have been about to ask from his mind. Now gazing at her smiled, he observed that it was much like her scent: not perfect, being slightly yellow with a few chipped and crooked teeth, but perfectly reflective of White herself in a way N couldn't help but marvel at.

"So, N…" White began after a second. "What all did you do before all of this happened? Were you in Hoenn the whole time, or what?"

N beamed at White's choice of subject. She had been very careful not to bring up any topics that might upset him (as he had been somewhat concerned that she might when she suggested that they ride the Ferris wheel while they waited to hear from the other towns), and he was very grateful for her intuitive understanding.

"For much of the time I was in Hoenn, yes," he began, smiling at the memories of simpler times. "I did live in Kanto and Johto briefly, and Sinnoh for a bit longer, but none of them felt quite right. Though, if I am to be honest, my only problem with Sinnoh was the cold. We did visit Orre, too, but only as a brief rest on the way westward. Zekrom and I stuck out a bit wherever we went, but we tried to help anyone who seemed to need it. After about six months, though, we reached Hoenn…"

Here he paused and sighed, vividly recalling the first moment he and Zekrom set foot on Hoenn's shores. In that instant, he had known that Hoenn could be his home. There was just some indescribable connection he had with the island.

Pulling his mind back to his body, he was surprised to find White hanging on his every word, eagerly awaiting the tale of his Hoenn advent. With a slightly bigger smile, he resumed his story.

"Hoenn was just perfect. The Pokémon and people there were very kind and friendly, and the whole place was very close to nature. For about a month and a half, we just explored all the islands, marveling at the natural beauty. On occasion, we happened across two crime organizations, known as Team Magma and Team Aqua, who tried to stir up some sort of trouble to expand their ideals, but they really were little more than a minor annoyance to Hoenn. All the same, we stopped them from doing anything immoral. We kept to ourselves, though, mostly, until Team Aqua set a very old and very strong Gyarados on a rampage to raise the tides. We confronted the Gyarados, defeated him, and managed to calm him down, but apparently we were caught on camera. Some lady interviewed us, and we were soon famous across Hoenn. We met all the gym leaders and Elite Four, and became good friends with the Champion, Brendan. It was all very nice for about a year. And then, well… you know the rest…"

N felt a twinge of sadness resurface, but White knocked it away with a soft pat on his arm. As he looked into her stormy blue eyes, N felt a swooping sensation that seemed to resemble hope and happiness. With a trainer as strong and brave as White on his side, surely they would prevail.

"…Cheren's coming this way," White mutter, a bit disappointedly. "We must've finally heard from everyone."

"Yes," N agreed with a sigh. He greatly wished that time would just come to a standstill, and that he could simply ride the Ferris wheel with White over and over, and never have to worry about any imminent war. Thus, it was only very reluctantly that he stepped out of the Ferris wheel at White's side.

"We've received word from Clay that Burgh's legion from Castelia has arrived," Cheren stated quickly, if a bit stiffly. "They're going to attack Cipher's forces in Mistralton City in exactly twenty minutes. Zillion Riches is prepared to attack Lacunosa at the same time. Also, Lenora's reinforcements have just arrived."

"Whelp," White muttered. "Sounds good. They all know the full plan?"

"Of course," Cheren said, frowning slightly. "You didn't think we would really not tell them, did you?"

"Well, I just thought it best that I ask," White defensively countered. "So you and Cynthia are still rejoining with Zillion's group?"

"Yes, White-" Cheren began, but White cut him off quickly.

"And me and Bianca are still gonna go with Clay's forces in Mistralton?"

"Yes, White, just like we-"

"And N's still leading this army to Icirrus, before we all rejoin at Opelucid, so we can then-"

"White!" Cheren shouted, rather in the manner of slapping a hysterical friend across the face. "The plan hasn't changed in the past twenty minutes, nor is it going to! Just calm down, White. We've got them outnumbered by at least three to one as is, and we're only going to gain even more once we start reclaiming cities. We're going to be just fine."

"…Thank you, Cheren," White murmured. "I know we will be, I just… you know…"

"Yes, I do. It's fine, White," Cheren nodded understandingly. Then, however, he rather puzzled N by glaring angrily at him for the barest fraction of a second. It happened so quickly that N almost thought he had imagined it, but it had been far too clear to have been a trick of the light. He had no idea what to make of it, but was suddenly grateful that he did not have to be in Cheren's party.

While N was still contemplating this, Cheren turned and walked back in the direction of the Pokémon Center. White took a step forward, turned back and saw that N had not yet followed, and rather suddenly seized N's hand, dragging him along with her through the dense crowd in a moderate sprint. In less than three seconds, N found himself gathered in front of the Pokémon Center with White, Cheren, Bianca, and Cynthia.

"You all ready?" White asked, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet. "We haven't forgotten anything? Everything's planned out? You all know-"

"We've got it, White," Cheren cut across, half chuckling. "Everything is-"

"Um… N?" Claire's small voice rang out as N felt a tug on his hand. "O-or, e-everyone?"

"Oh? What is it, Claire?" N asked curiously, as the group fell silent and turned toward the small trainer.

"I-it's just… the T-Togepi sorta… w-warned me, I g-guess… I-I'm not s-sure how to describe it…"

"Do you mean, like, you could read it or whatever from his aura?" White suggested.

"Y-yeah! J-just like that," Claire agreed. "B-but he said s-something about… some kind of n-nightmare monster th-that Cipher admin has."

"Nightmare monster? Could he mean Darkrai?" Cynthia asked frantically. Claire whispered something, but N could not hear what it was, and Cynthia, likely unhearing of her, cut her off and carried on.

"I shudder to think of the power of Darkrai in the hands of these people. Darkrai hid itself away for many years to protect others from its uncontrollable power to induce horrific visions of terror in all those around it. But if this Cipher has taken it…"

"Where was this Darkrai hiding until now?" Cheren asked suddenly.

"Newmoon Island, far north off the west coast of Sinnoh," Cynthia quickly explained. "And that's what worries me the most. This must mean that Cipher has been to Sinnoh to some extent; at least enough to track down and capture Darkrai. Do any you have any idea who this admin is?"

"From White's and Cheren's descriptions," N spoke up. "I think he is the Cipher Admin Eldes. He-"

"_Eldes_?" Cynthia interrupted. "His name is Eldes? With reddish hair?"

"I think so," N restated, a bit perplexed. "We haven't seen nearly as much of him as Ardos, but-"

"But this is no good! It's all my fault they have Darkrai!" Cynthia shouted in despair. N, further perplexed, opened his mouth to provide reassurance, but Cynthia elaborated before he got the chance.

"I told him about Darkrai, and where he could find him! Not even a month ago! I hadn't even heard of Cipher then. He just met me in a café in Sinnoh and struck up a conversation about legendary Pokémon. And of course I told him everything I knew about them! I _thought _he looked familiar! And now Cipher has information on even the most obscure legendaries, and where they are likely to find them! And it's all my fault! How can-"

"Cynthia!" Cheren shouted, in much the same way he had to White. "Calm down! You had no way of knowing who he was, and they could have just as easily tracked down another mythology expert! But that's not important now! What _is_ important is focusing on the battle that's going to start in less than fifteen minutes! We need to deal with the most immediate threat before we can start worrying about details like that! Now are you ready to leave?"

"You… are right," Cynthia agreed. "And yes, I suppose it is best we leave now. Good luck to you all."

"W-wait!" Claire cried out as Cheren and Cynthia reached for their flying-type's Pokéballs. However, they appeared not to have heard her, so N spoke up on her behalf.

"Wait! Claire knows something else important as well."

Claire flinched slightly as all the trainers' eyes turned to her. Staring at a point halfway between them and the ground, she spoke softly.

"I… T-Togepi also s-said… or, y-you know, thought… s-something about… that 'the s-streets and outskirts of Opelucid are c-completely f-filled with C-C-Cipher agents…'"

"_Filled_? Like literally _filled_?" White gaped. "Well… Frickin…"

"Hold on," Cheren said with clearly forced calm. "We need to be sure there are no miscommunications, and quickly. White, Bianca: just give a rough estimate as to how many agents you saw in Mistralton City."

Bianca was quickest to respond. "I guessed it was around two hundred and fifty, but White said it couldn't be more than one hundred and fifty, but neither of us got a very good look at everything. So, like, say, two hundred-ish?"

"Okay. Two hundred. Now let's just assume there's about that many in Icirrus City as well. So that's four hundred. Add to that the one hundred that I encountered in Undella. Now, how much would it take to 'fill the streets and outskirts of Opelucid'?"

A rather grim moment of silence passed. Then, White tentatively spoke up.

"…Seven hundred?"

"Frankly, that's a bit optimistic," Cheren said with a slight frown. "I myself would say eight fifty. But let's say just eight hundred for now. That's a one-thousand-three-hundred-strong army, plus however many are at the League. Now, how many people do we have? The forces I raised in the east number around two hundred and fifty."

"That would depend on how many citizens were willing to volunteer," N responded, grimacing. "I think we can count on three hundred with Clay and Burg's combined forces, and there's probably about three hundred and twenty-five here. That's… Eight hundred and seventy-five total."

Despair seeped into N's heart. He hadn't realized how horribly outnumbered they were. Furthermore, every lowly peon would have at least one Shadow Pokémon on their team, and the higher-ranking ones could have three or four, not even considering the admins' six. He saw his faltering hope reflected in White and Bianca's faces, but Cheren went on unconcernedly.

"The solution is simple, then. Each battalion needs to take their respective city as rapidly as possible. Mistralton, Lacunosa, and Icirrus are manageable. Then, once all of those have been reclaimed, all three of our legions must strike their center at Opelucid simultaneously. I'll send a message via Unfezant to Icirrus once we've got Lacunosa, and you send him back once you've all met up in Icirrus. Altogether we'll be able to take Opelucid. Sound good? Good."

With that, he sent out said Unfezant and leapt onto his back. Cynthia, whom N thought still looked a bit guilt-ridden, climbed onto her Braviary. Cheren turned to face White and Bianca, but seemed to carefully avoid looking at N, as he had the last time they had all parted.

"Good luck, guys. We've got this under control."

He then made to leave, but Bianca suddenly rushed forward, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Ch-Cheren! Wait!" she cried out, reaching her hand forward.

"Later, Bianca," Cheren dismissed, though grimacing as he did so. "I'm sorry, but we've already delayed too much. You need to leave, too."

Despite Bianca's protests, he then immediately took to the skies at top speed, closely followed by an ever-more-apologetic Cynthia. Bianca seemed to shrink where she stood, falling into horribly pitiful yet completely silent sobs. White put her arm around her shoulders and squeezed her comfortingly.

"He's right, B; we've got to go now. Don't worry about him. He's plenty strong enough to take care of himself. We'll see him again before the night's over."

Bianca nodded vigorously in agreement as White threw her Pokéball into the air to send out Reshiram above the heads of the crowd. She nimbly leapt up, grabbing hold of his foot, and held herself up on his leg. She extended a hand to Bianca and pulled her up, and both climbed up onto the yang dragon's back. White glanced back at N, and her face seemed to fall slightly. N offered her an encouraging smile, trying with it to remind her that they wouldn't be apart for long. However, he couldn't help but feel her worry as well; a major battle was about to take place, and people died in major battles.

But he could not, would not, think that. They were going to win, to defeat these selfish, greedy invaders and save Unova, and subsequently the entire world. They were all going to be just fine, he told himself assertively. She's going to be just fine…

By the time N shook his daze off, Reshiram had sped away. Burying his fear as deeply as he could, he made a split-second decision and quickly scaled onto the roof of the Pokémon Center. From this height, he surveyed the vast crowd of trainers, some confused, some frightened, some eager to fight. N inhaled deeply, before calling out in as loud and authoritative a voice as he could possibly manage.

"Would you all please listen briefly to what I have to say?"

The effect was immediate and rather startling. A wave seemed to pulsate through the crowd from the point where N stood. Those closest instantly fell silent and turned to N, followed by those next to them, and those next to them, drawing closer to the Pokémon Center all the time, until, in just under a minute, the entire multitude of trainers was compacted as tightly around N's impromptu stage as possible, gazing intently up at him, keen to take in his words.

N had not anticipated the feeling of hundreds of eyes focused so completely on him; of so many minds ready to absorb anything he might say; of such an extensive crowd ready to go to what could very easily be their deaths at his command. The sensation was dizzying; it vividly recalled the moment his father had placed the crown of Team Plasma upon his head. He couldn't honestly say he disliked it, but it was not a pleasant feeling either. He truthfully did not know what to make of it.

"…I think it only fair," he finally began after a few moments, "that you all know exactly what it is that you about to fight for. I know that there must be some level of confusion amongst you, given the way the story has been conveyed. So I will just tell you exactly what's going on: an international organization known as Cipher has invaded Unova. They originated from the Orre region, and soon took over the Hoenn region. They have influence in the other three regions, but have not quite occupied them."

"Why did they attack Unova then?" someone called out, and was met with a moderate shout of agreement.

"…I… am not entirely sure…" N slowly said, growing nervous. "It is possible that they wanted to surround the three central regions."

He took a deep breath, swallowed, blinked slowly, and carefully went on.

"But the most likely reason they invaded Unova right now… is because I fled here, and they managed to track me."

He paused briefly, awaiting the roars of indignation, but was thoroughly caught of guard when none came, and everyone merely continued staring at him expectantly. A bit tentatively, he continued speaking.

"…I did not intend for Cipher to follow me here. I would not have come had I known they would have. But they managed to, somehow. In other regions, they have attempted to discredit me by spreading rumors that I am a dangerous terrorist, which many of you have likely heard already."

"Well, _are_ you a terrorist?" someone suddenly accused. However, to N's utter astonishment, they were the one met with roars of indignation before he could even begin to articulate a response.

"You even know who you're talkin' to?"

"That's N Harmonia, that is!"

"He was all of the good ideals behind Team Plasma, and none of the petty theft!"

"Haven't you heard about all his humanitarian efforts abroad since he saw the error of his ways with Plasma?"

"The Champion trusts him! White Shirkuro trusts him! All the Gym Leaders and Elite Four trust him!"

"And you'd have to be pretty blind not to have seen that these Cipher people are bad news. He's doing all he can to stop them from taking over our home!"

"That sound like a terrorist to you?"

The shouts eventually faded, and the original speaker was apparently too humiliated to respond. N, however, remained briefly too shocked to continue. He really had had very little idea of the Unovan public's opinion of him when had departed Kanto, and in truth had braced himself for the worst, given his involvement with Team Plasma. He had dared to remain hopeful that White had stemmed the animosity towards him to some extent, but he had never dreamed that she had defended him so fiercely that the entire populace of Unova had completely dissociated him from the less noble facets of Team Plasma. He felt a strong surge of affection for his dear friend, and swore that he would find some way to thank her for her incredible kindness.

"…Thank you all," he said, slowly and sincerely, as he blinked out of his memories. "But to answer your question, no, I am not a terrorist. I seek only to save lives."

Again to his surprise, his plain and honest words were met with shouts of approval. He shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts and backtracking to his last words before the outcry.

"…But you still do not know exactly what Cipher is," he went on solemnly. "They possess unusually strong Pokémon known as Shadow Pokémon. These Shadow Pokémon have been through horrible abuse and corruption, and no longer comprehend things like love, happiness, and mercy. They will attack your Pokémon to kill, and will not hesitate to attack you yourselves likewise if their trainers order it. The kinds of people Cipher attracts are generally, though it would not be fair to say always, the kinds of people who want power regardless of the suffering it causes. Many of them will order their Shadow Pokémon to attack you. You may be facing death. Please understand the gravity of that. I request, but certainly do not demand, that you aid us in this war. If you do not want to fight, there is no shame in remaining here. I understand how sudden this is, and many of you may simply be unprepared. That is perfectly fine, and you are welcome to stay here, whatever the reason may be.

"Now, I would like to give you time to consider this, but I am afraid there is none to spare. We fly to Icirrus City now. You should have found someone to fly with if you don't have any flying Pokémon. You must choose now. Take flight and follow me if you wish to fight; if not, merely remain here."

Throughout this entire speech, N's audience stared wide-eyed at the roof of the Pokémon Center, stunned by the impact of his words. N had not expected them to hang on his every word so closely, but was glad to see that he had in fact frightened them. They needed to know exactly what they were facing, and this knowledge would frighten just about anyone.

A few moments later, however, once his words had sunken in, many began to cry out shouts of determination, and proclamations of valiance. The cries of hundreds of flying-types echoed loudly throughout the city with inspiring courage. As many of the trainers began to take to the skies, N released Zekrom above their heads and leapt onto his back.

He burned with shame when he nearly forgot Claire in his mounting fear and excitement, and hastily told Zekrom to descend to pick her up. As he hoisted her up onto the yin dragon's back and rose higher into the air, he quickly overlooked the rising mass of trainers, and noted, somewhat bittersweetly, that no more than twenty trainers were remaining behind. He then turned to his legion, and shouted the first words of encouragement that came to his mind.

"Let our endeavors be prosperous! May Unova remain free at sundown!"

Thus, with N and Zekrom at its head, the second battalion of the makeshift Unovan Army charged into its first battle.

* * *

><p>If White had to choose one word to describe the battle at Mistralton, she would have chosen "overpowering." As she led the aerial forces upon her Archeops to engage Cipher's sky legion, she ceased to be the independent Pokémon Trainer White Shirkuro, but became (as many of the soldiers had taken to calling her) General Shirkuro, leader of the first battalion of the Unovan Army, merely the head of a large body in an anachronic void.<p>

She was vaguely surprised at how naturally military leadership came to her. In a way, it was a lot like her usual Pokémon battles on a much larger scale; she commanded her troops as fluently as she would her team, or her limbs. As it was when her Pokémon fell in battle, she felt a sharp pang of sadness whenever one of her comrades plummeted from the sky, but did not let it distract from her ultimate victory.

Cipher had evidently underestimated their forces' aerial prowess, as their readily-airborne numbers were few and only moderately skilled. Taking full advantage of Archeops's rock-typing, White was able to take out many of their Shadowed flying-types with relative ease. She gave whatever orders came instinctively to her, naturally citing and utilizing the secondary types of both her allies and enemies. Her soldiers continually drove Cipher's back towards Mistralton, until the battle was literally taking place directly above the city.

The battle raged on for a vague amount of time. White thought it seemed to be a lot, but time had become a rather abstract idea irrelevant to her. She saw no less than ten of her comrades struck from their steeds with bolts of lightning, dropping to their deaths as smoky masses. At least five were pelted with stones of some sort until they too were thrown from the sky, hitting the ground with barely-audible yet horribly disturbing thuds.

And then it appeared: the great, looming gray mass of Kyurem, bringing with it a piercing chill that rapidly spread through the air, ridden by the same blue-haired Cipher Admin that had blasted her from the sky only hours ago. It tore through White's legion with frigid bolts of icy energy, killing ten trainers in less than a minute, at least one of which was in fact a Cipher agent.

White quickly took note of a flock of Skarmory and Aerodactyl trainers engaging several Swellow-flying Cipher soldiers. Taking diligent care not to be seen by the Admin (Ardos, she thought his name way), she swooped upon the enemy squad, bombarding them with Rock Slide attacks, while ordering her trainers to strike Kyurem from behind with steel and rock-type attacks. She could almost feel them obey, the same way she could feel her arm extend to strike a Cipher peon from his Swellow.

The Swellow riders having been swiftly dealt with, White soared directly above the ice dragon, who was struggling to fight off the tiny Skarmory surrounding it. Seized suddenly by an utterly mad idea, White whispered to Archeops to continue attacking the boundary Pokémon, then leapt from her Paleozoic bird and landed on Kyurem's back, directly behind to the Admin Ardos. He turned swiftly around, just in time to meet White's punch to the face. For a moment he seemed stunned, and White moved in for another blow, but he quickly ducked under it and punched her mightily in the stomach. Before White could react, he beat down on the back of her head, knocking her flat on her stomach. She attempted to push herself back up, but he stomped down on her back, nearly cracking her ribs in two. As she laid on the ice dragon's back, wracked with pain, he leaned next to her face and whispered in her ear, with a voice mixed with fiery fury and cool condescension:

"This is what you get for foolishly throwing yourself in Cipher's path, you stupid little girl."

These words ignited a blazing fire in White's heart, numbing all pain and invigorating her with indignant rage. In no more than two seconds, she leapt up, kicking Ardos in the crotch and face, and rolled off of the edge of Kyurem's back, just as Archeops and two Skarmory dealt simultaneous critical hits that finally knocked the wuji dragon unconscious. Archeops dove down and intercepted White's free fall easily, and the two sky warriors soared upward as they watched Ardos and Kyurem plummet from the sky. However, the celebratory shouts of their entire legion became incensed ones when Ardos whipped out a Revive, only to then flee towards Opelucid City upon his badly weakened dragon. Yet even these shouts became ones of triumph once again when they saw a portion of the second battalion flying their way from Icirrus.

White, however, had no time to dwell on the cowardly Admin, nor even much on their reinforcements. As she expediently surveyed the aerial battlefield, she noted that, although the Cipher army had received reinforcements themselves upon reaching the Mistralton City skies, their numbers were beginning to dwindle. Continuing to command her forces to prepare for the second battalion's arrival, White wondered, vaguely optimistic, if this would mean the defeat or surrender of Cipher's Mistralton forces.

But at that precise moment, a sharp pain erupted across White's back, as though countless tiny knives were slashing from her hips upward. Her cry of pain mingled with Archeops's, who struggled weakly to remain airborne. White frantically turned, glancing rapidly around for her assailant, but nearly plummeted from Archeops on her own when she found them.

The blue-eyed member of the Shadow Triad was standing atop a Gyarados in the midst of the chaos. Despite the distance, she could clearly tell that he was the blue-eyed one, so sharply his irises stood out. No one else seemed to even take note of him, but merely continued to fight perfectly around him. But what was most unusual was the fact that he was alone. Where were his normally-inseparable brothers? Were they on some other mission? Did they simply have no Pokémon capable of flight? White sat in shocked silence for a brief moment as she wondered this.

And a brief moment was all the Shadow Triad member needed. The Gyarados summoned several small stones that spun once around it before launching themselves at White and Archeops. The razor-sharp Stone Edge attack rent through White's flesh again, covering her with blood as Archeops fluttered feebly under her own bombardment of jagged rocks. The pain was just too much for her Paleozoic bird, and they both fell from the sky in agony.

White's brain went numb, and time seemed to slow drastically. She was abruptly painfully aware of her own will to live. As she had done during her previous fall, she struggled to reach for Reshiram's Pokéball to save herself, but could scarcely move her mutilated arms. She began to panic badly at her lack of control, contrasting her usual coolness under pressure. This was it; she was falling to her death. She would never see Cheren or Bianca or… N again.

A terrible pang hit her in her last few seconds when she realized that several of her own troops, and even more Cipher peons, had suffered this exact fate, had known this exact terror. Before, she had been able to dismiss them as necessary fatalities of war, all grouped together into a collectiveness labeled "casualties." Now, however, it fully hit her that these were real, individual people and Pokémon, with lives and friends and families they were leaving behind. The revelation of the atrocity that even victory would bring crippled her resolve to even attempt to save herself. She and Archeops would merely…

_Archeops_. She had to save Archeops, at the very least. Her limbs were flooded with revitalizing energy, and she swiftly but agonizingly grabbed Archeops's Pokéball and threw it about a foot downward, resealing Archeops within it. She then forced herself to reach out and seize the Pokéball, putting it safely back in her bag. The pain of exerting her slashed muscles became too intense to bear, and her consciousness began to violently falter.

As her vision was slowly being filled with darkness, she turned upward and looked at the combatants; what had been her army. She was unsurprised to see that the blue-eyed Shadow Triad member (how odd it was to refer to one singularly!) had vanished without a trace. She also vaguely noted that there seemed to be far more of her own forces than before, and far fewer of Cipher's, but perhaps she had simply never viewed them all at once until just now. Regardless, she was at least partially comforted with the thought that the Unovan forces seemed about to defeat those of Cipher. This was dampened, however, by the thought of all the Cipher peons who had fallen just as she was. In her last moments of consciousness, she prayed to Arceus that not only Unova but the entire world would be free from Cipher with as little death on either side as possible.

And then, finally, after the second that lasted a lifetime, White struck something, and her last thread of awareness was severed. The last things her failing senses reported to her were an earthy scent, a distressed voice, and the tingle of electricity.

* * *

><p>The second battalion's victory had been a fairly easy one, N reflected gratefully as he led a rough third of it towards Mistralton City on Zekrom's back. Ardos, who was in command of the forces there, was at the Mistralton forces at the time, and the confused and leaderless Cipher peons fled to Opelucid after a brief skirmish. N was proud that there had not been a single casualty on either side, neither Pokémon nor human.<p>

As he approached the city, N could see that both a battle on the land in and around the city and one in the skies above it were taking place. A horrible chill ran down his spine as he saw bodies strewn across the ground. Every few moments, another would join them by dropping from the sky or being stabbed or fried on land. The atrocity of it all momentarily paralyzed him as he and his legion drew ever nearer to the scene of it. He had always known this was how the war would be, but actually seeing the innumerable loss of life was entirely different from objectively contemplating it.

"Stay focused, N," Zekrom murmured. "You knew it would be this way. This is the price we have to pay for life and freedom of people and Pokémon."

These words seemed to clear the first layer of fog from his brain, and he shook his head to dispel the second. The last bit was swept away, however, by Ardos and Kyurem, who quite suddenly emerged from the midst of the battle and charged headlong for N's squadron of reinforcements. N quickly braced himself to confront the Cipher Admin, but he strangely turned sharply and flew directly around the Unovan forces. Puzzled and slightly worried about his ultimate plan, but also relieved that they had avoided an immediate confrontation, N called out to his soldiers to let the Admin pass and head straight for the battle.

Just as they got far enough into the battle for the designated ground forces began soaring downward, N caught sight of something that turned his blood to ice: White's Archeops fainted midair, and they both fell. In that moment, the battle came to a halt in N's world. All combatants vanished. There was no one left in the world but himself, White, and Zekrom, whom he was urging to rocket forward with as blinding a speed as possible. The yin dragon went into a dive so fast and so steep that he seemed to be in free fall. N's eyes remained frozen on White's descending form, begging that he reach her in time.

Only a second later, Zekrom cut across White's path, saving her approximately half the falling distance. N held out his arms to catch her, but she instead landed directly on his head. He wobbled unsteadily, but managed to keep both White and himself from slipping off of Zekrom's back. As he regained his balance, he exhaled a deep sigh of relief. She was alive, she was okay, she was just fine.

Except he soon saw that, while alive, she was far from fine or okay. She was completely covered in freely bleeding gashes, particularly on her back, arms, and face, and her skin was pale and cold. Her breath was shallow, and she occasionally twitched violently. N gestured to Zekrom to land near the Pokémon Center, but Zekrom shook his head.

"N, have you forgotten about the battle completely?"

The battle. A battle was going on, right around them. N's world suddenly expanded again, encompassing more than himself, his Pokémon, and his best friend. He was needed in the battle. As much as he really deeply wanted to see to White's injuries immediately, he was needed in the battle, and he could not abandon his soldiers as Ardos had. Though it pained him greatly, White would have to wait.

However, just as he made this resolution and faced the legions of Cipher, he saw that they had started to retreat. The peons in the sky swooped down to pick up one or two of their grounded fellows before fleeing in pursuit of their commander. Before N could even begin to make a move, the entire remnants of Cipher's western legion had fled. The first part of the battle was won.

As N glanced down, he saw that Clay was already leading the earthbound forces towards Icirrus, while Burgh appeared to be giving Skyla a full explanation of the situation in front of the (he noticed with a sinking feeling) utterly ruined Pokémon Center. In a split-second decision, N reasoned that he could trust the Gym Leaders to get all the soldiers to Icirrus City without his direct aid, and, calling out nonspecifically a command to convene at Icirrus, he sped away at Zekrom's top speed.

The next few minutes were among the most nerve-wracking of N's life. He could not clearly tell if he was merely paranoid, or if White's breath was gradually growing slower and lighter. He bit his lip, struggling to keep his own breath even, occasionally insisting that Zekrom fly faster. When, after far too long, they finally touched down in front of the Icirrus Pokémon Center, N leapt off Zekrom with White in his arms and rushed in the building without recalling his deep black dragon.

The Pokémon Center was fairly crowded with trainers preparing for the next phase of the battle, but they all gasped and moved out of N's way upon seeing the White's state. Many asked what had happened, but N did not stop to answer.

In a few seconds, Claire was at N's heels with Februa around her shoulders. Most of her words bounced off of N's ears as he hurried to the back rooms designated for human patients, but he was thrown out of his mechanical daze when she jumped in front of him.

"N! J-just let Februa h-heal here!" she quasi-shouted.

For a moment, he merely stood and blinked confusedly, but then her words sunk in, and he was surprised that he had ever thought anything else.

"Y-yes! Of course!" he agreed, kneeling down and holding White out for Februa to see. The pearly snake sniffed her tentatively before turning up to Claire.

"Sh-should I…?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah! G-go on, Feb!" Claire responded with her innate understanding.

Februa nodded and let out his distinct high-pitch cry enveloping White in a soft glow that seemed to melt her gashes from her skin. Though she was still cold, pale, and blood-soaked, her direct physical injuries had been addressed. She would surely recover soon.

"…I-is she g-gonna be okay now?" Claire timidly asked.

"I think so," N happily answered.

"Well I certainly don't," someone called out from behind them. N spun around to see the Pokémon Center's nurse shuffling over to them through the crowd.

"Um, I'm-" N began, but the nurse impatiently cut him off.

"She's clearly lost a lot of blood. All Heal Pulse does is mend injuries. It's great and all that she isn't still losing more, but I can tell you right now she's gonna need a blood transfusion. Give her here, now, so we can take care of that."

"I'll give blood for her," N blurted out immediately. The nurse shook her head with a bemused smile.

"Look, as sweet as that is, it'd only take longer to check both your blood type and hers, rather than just use some of the labeled donations. Just tell me one thing, though, and tell me straight-up," she said with a sigh. "How many more injured people and Pokémon are on the way?"

"…Most likely… at the least… a hundred Pokémon and fifty people… that aren't dead…" N grimly estimated. "But how did you know the Mistralton Pokémon Center was destroyed?"

"PC message. Cipher couldn't shut those off," she explained tersely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to have her set up before the others arrive."

"W-wait!" N called out loudly. "How long will this take?"

"Three weeks ago, it'd've taken two to four hours," she called back from the doorway. "But you're pretty damn lucky that a new technique's been proven safe, and she'll be good to go in half an hour, an hour max. Now, if you'll _excuse_ me, I'd like to get going."

She then briskly strode off, leaving N and Claire in the crowded lobby. After a moment of mental numbness, N felt Claire tug at his hand, leading him back to where she had sat before his arrival. N sat down wordlessly, reflecting now on the violence of the battle.

He could not deny that he was rather disturbed. He had seen death before, when Cipher had invaded Hoenn, but never even remotely close to the magnitude of the battle over Mistralton. The attack on Hoenn had been swift and decisive, allowing not a moment for the citizens to organize a resistance against it. As such, there had never been a true full-scale battle. The carnage today was the true beginning of a long and terrible night. N sighed deeply, closing his eyes to briefly make his troubles vanish.

N opened his eyes what felt like two seconds later, but saw that many Pokémon and trainers were being rushed into the Pokémon Center. His tired mind couldn't reason through how long must have passed, but he knew he must have slept for some notable length of time. As he shifted to stand up, he saw why he had awoken in the first place: Leader Lenora was kneeling next to his seat, apparently having pushed him awake.

"Pst, N. That boy Cheren's Unfezant showed up just now. Means they've secured Lacunosa Town, right?"

"Um, yes, it does," N mumbled, rather surprisingly tired. "Leader Lenora-"

"Just 'Lenora', dear," Lenora insisted.

"…Lenora," N amended. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Oh, thirty-five, forty minutes, maybe? These are just the last of the hurt making their way in right now. But plenty of people are good-to-go for the attack on Opelucid. We about to start?"

N was vaguely startled at this information, but quickly shook his head to dismiss it. Right now, he needed to be certain of the status of the third battalion.

"Soon, yes," he responded. "I'm going to speak with Unfezant. Is he just outside?"

"Oh yes, you won't miss him," Lenora affirmed. N beamed in thanks and, careful not to disturb Claire, who was sleeping next to him, hurried out of the Pokémon Center. As soon as he set foot beyond the door, Unfezant landed swiftly beside him.

"Hello," he greeted, somewhat stiffly. "I have been told you are capable of understand our speech."

"Hello, good friend," N said, smiling. "Indeed I can. It's nice to formally meet you, Un-"

"Yes, yes," Unfezant interrupted. "Let's get this done quickly. The forces at Lacunosa Town were very strong, as they had seen the size of our forces at Undella already and received reinforcements. However, we were able to successfully drive them back to Opelucid City. We are currently tending to the wounded in Lacunosa, but have sufficient numbers for an assault. When shall we begin?"

"Well…" N replied, a bit uncomfortable at Unfezant's moderate callousness and objectivity. "How about ten minutes from right now? We should be ready by then. Will you be?"

"We will be," Unfezant confirmed, before briskly flying away. N, with suddenly mounting unease, turned back to the Pokémon Center.

And crashed directly into White, who stumbled backwards, but was held steady by Bianca. N, after recovering from the collision and registering what his eyes told him, felt as though he had chugged some sort of revitalizing energy drink. His weariness, his apprehension, and his sadness immediately evaporated as he saw White standing there, looking, though still a bit beaten, as healthy and beautiful as ever.

"Wh-White!" he cried out, throwing his arms around her shoulders. "Y-you're okay!"

But as he embraced her, she stiffened and flinched slightly. N, worried that he had hurt some still-tender injuries, quickly drew back.

"I-I'm sorry!" he half-yelled. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry! I… am just glad that you're all right."

"I-it's fine, N…" White mumbled, her face burning red again. "You, erm, didn't hurt me."

"Are you sure?" he asked, still concerned.

"Course I'm sure. I'm totally fine now," she insisted, regaining her usual tough demeanor. "So when're we gonna go take Opelucid, huh?"

"In about… eight minutes," N told her, checking his watch. "But-"

"Sweet," White replied, and, before N could say anything else, she turned to the streets and hollered "We take back out last city from those Cipher bastards in eight minutes! Everyone who's fit to fight get ready!"

This announcement was greeted with several shouts of approval. N made to ask White if she was feeling well enough to fight, but she gently pushed him away as she hurried back into the Pokémon Center to shout the same message, which was greeted with the same response. As White again exited, N opened his mouth to ask her again, but, seeming to read his mind, she placed her hand over his mouth.

"N, you know me. You know I'm strong. You know I'm stubborn. You know I'm not the kind of person to stay behind and not fight for the freedom of not just my country, but of people and Pokémon everywhere, just because I got stabbed with a thousand tiny stone knives and fell five hundred feet onto the back of a dragon. So don't even try to suggest that I stay here, 'cause I'm fighting with you till the end."

Tears began to well up in N's eyes at White's words. In that moment, he doubted neither her physical nor psychological resilience. He was completely certain of her sincerity; he knew that she truly would fight to the finish, to Cipher's death or her own.

"_But it will not come to that_…" he thought somewhat desperately. "_I couldn't go on if it came to that…_"

The conclusion was simple, then. Cipher would die. Sighing, N stood beside White and rested his head on her shoulder, looking again at the almost completely faded sunlight. White tensed slightly, but relaxed almost immediately, so he knew she wasn't hurt. Then, he suddenly remembered he still owed her.

"White? Thank you for defending everyone's memory of me here" he said, plainly sincere and grateful. White laughed happily in response. Also smiling, N glanced again at his watch. Four minutes remained.

* * *

><p>Cheren paced rapidly back and forth on the western outskirts of Lacunosa Town, silhouetted against the setting sun, trapped in a vortex of excitement, apprehension, joy, fear, triumph, and at least six other emotions. He checked his watch again and again, but each time he found that only five or six seconds had passed, and let out a frustrated growl.<p>

"_Ten minutes_," he thought bitterly. "_Why in Arceus's name does that fool want to wait ten whole minutes?"_

But he knew that, while he was many things, N was no fool. He knew there were very likely legitimate reasons for the wait on N's side, but this did not make the wait any more pleasant. He was still filled with a burning desire to finish the battle. He partly did not care whether they won or lost; he merely wanted to know the results of the battle. This uncertainty was worse than anything.

For the umpteenth time, he rapidly replayed the battle in his head, in an attempt to kill at least a full minute. He had led the land assault, which had rapidly besieged the town and engaged all of Cipher's forces. This had allowed Cynthia's aerial assault to pick off many of the peons before they even realized that attacks were raining from above. Then, Zillion Riches led an attack from the north, which had finally pressure the Admin in command (Eldes, his name was) to retreat to Opelucid. Bada bing, bada boom, and the fight at Lacunosa was over.

Cheren looked at his watch again, and nearly tore it off when he saw that he had consumed a grand total of twenty seconds. He still had nearly two full minutes before they could begin the attack. He again considered merely striking ahead of time, but he knew that could be disastrous for his battalion, if Cipher's forces at Opelucid were as vast as the girl had reported they were. They needed to hit both sides of the city simultaneously, or the early side would be crushed.

His thoughts drifted to White, and his pent up energy seemed to abruptly flicker out. He was jealous of N; he would not deny that, at least to himself. White had said on more than one occasion that Cheren was like a brother to her, and Cheren had forced himself to be flattered by this each time. But no matter how much he insisted otherwise, to anyone, he was in love with her. He frequently told himself that he was not, that he was perfectly happy thinking of her as a sister, but he was far too clever to be deceived by such pathetic lies. He persisted in trying, though, because he knew that was the relationship that White wanted. She loved N, not him, and that wasn't going to change.

"Cheren?" a voice called out. Cheren whirled around to see Zillion Riches approaching slowly. "Are you ready? It's almost time."

The burning desire for battle flared up violently in Cheren's chest again, and all his fear, excitement, triumph, and everything else overwhelmed him again. This was it, at last; the decisive clash for the fate of Unova was at hand.

"Excellent," he said, as coolly and evenly as he could manage, gazing thoughtfully at the receding daylight. "Let's begin, then."


	12. Chapter 11: The Battle of Opelucid

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 11: The Battle of Opelucid

The exhilaration that flowed through Cheren's veins as he led his army into the moonlit battle was truly like nothing he had ever known. As his first wave crashed against the Cipher's wall of trainers just beyond the now-desolate Village Bridge, Cheren knew that this was something he was meant to do.

The initial clash of armies was perilously located above a rather deep trench. Cipher's surge of Vigoroth and Zangoose immediately attempted to throw the Unovan Army's Pokémon and trainers off the ledge, and succeeded for quite a while, but Cynthia swooped down on her Braviary with several Unfezant riders, knocking Cipher's agents down from the bridge with their prey. In this brief moment of confusion on Cipher's part, the initial Unovan wave was able to gain the upper hand, and drive the battle off of the small bridge and closer to Opelucid.

As the agents of Cipher fought Cheren's first wave to a standstill just before the river, Cheren personally headed a second wave that swept by the occupied grunts. Several Cipher peons, accompanied by a wave of Hariyama and Primeapes, were the first to meet his advancing forces, but he quickly set the Psychic-type group of Reuniclus and Musharna trainers against them, and hurried ahead. A swarm of Dusknoir and Banette suddenly appeared amongst them, but called nearby allies with Mightyena and Weavile to take them out with his Liepard. At least five of his comrades' Pokémon were badly injured by unexpected Focus Blast attacks, but this only made him more determined to fight. After Liepard and the other survivors swiftly Night Slashed the Ghost-types away, Cheren recalled her and left the small group of Dark-type soldiers to finish off the Cipher agents, while the majority of his second wave marched over the river.

But the moment they did, Cipher second main wave emerged from the tunnel to Opelucid, led by Eldes himself. Cheren, eager for a powerful opponent, ordered his legion to directly attack the approaching limb of Cipher.

"You may as well retreat, Eldes!" he shouted, though inwardly only on the assumption he would be ignored. "That little team of yours will barely make a dent in the entire Third Battalion of the Unovan Army."

"You make it sound so official," Eldes mocked, his voice eerily audible over the tumult of the battle. "And not like something that was hastily thrown together in half a day with no formal war preparations whatsoever."

Cheren merely made an indignant noise in response that was lost under the cries of a hundred Pokémon as the opposing legions met. He paused briefly, allowing the Cipher Admin time to send out his Flygon, before quickly countering it with his Simipour. Several other trainers clashed simultaneously, but all seemed to innately stay away from their generals' confrontation.

"Ice Beam, Simipour!" Cheren called out.

"Roserade, cut it off with Petal Dance," Eldes said in his calm-yet-magnified voice as he threw a second black Pokéball with Cipher's emblem. "And Flygon, hit the Haxorus with Dragon Claw."

Cheren flinched in shock as his Haxorus, whom he had just sent out to use Fire Blast against the Roserade, was immediately slashed with a powerful Dragon Claw attack.

"Wh-what?" he stammered. "H-how did you know I trained my Haxorus to know a Fire-type move?"

"You have you good friend Alder to thank for that," Eldes informed him with a slight smile. "My brother is quite skilled at, ah, extracting information. We know the entire teams of you and your friends."

While unsettling, the awareness of the Cipher leaders' knowledge of his team did not disturb Cheren nearly as much as the implication of the means by which they obtained it. He had feared greatly for his old mentor when he had not returned for the reconvention at Nimbasa City, especially after hearing from Bianca that Cipher's presence was greatest where Alder was then headed. Based on Unfezant's report and Eldes's remarks, it sounded as if the Champion was currently being held captive in Opelucid. Worried that Alder himself had been overcome by Cipher, Cheren hoped desperately that he was not too badly injured.

"Ah, that went well," Eldes noted calmly, jerking Cheren's attention back to the battle just in time to see his Simipour fall to Roserade's second Petal Dance. Haxorus was holding up against the Flygon, however, and Cheren called out to him quickly as he pulled Simipour back, just out of the way of another devastating flurry of petals.

"Outrage, Haxorus, Outrage!"

"Set out Toxic Spikes now, Rose," Eldes ordered.

"No! Liepard, Aerial Ace the Roserade!" Cheren called out, but Eldes was slightly too quick for him. Liepard did leap out, just as Haxorus finally overcame the Flygon, but was pierced by the jagged purple shards that Roserade threw beneath her feet. She staggered in pain, but managed to regain her balance and nimbly flip and slash the masked Bouquet Pokémon. The Roserade stumbled, but did not faint.

"Deoxys, Brick Break that Liepard," Eldes said coolly, as an Attack Forme Deoxys seemed to appear literally from nowhere and lunge at Liepard. Before it could strike, however, Cynthia materialized quite as suddenly as the Deoxys as she landed directly in front of the DNA Pokémon and smashed its head with what appeared to be moderately-sized crystalline rock. The Deoxys twitched and mutated slightly for a few moments before collapsing. At the same moment, her Braviary lunged from the sky and tore at the Roserade with his beak. The Brave Bird attack easily finished off the Roserade, who was withdrawn simultaneously with the glitched Deoxys.

"A viral meteorite I obtained from Veilstone, Sinnoh" Cynthia quickly explained in response to Cheren's quizzical expression. Cheren nodded tersely and turned to reconfront Eldes.

But, rather than send out his next Pokémon, Eldes leapt backwards, shielding himself behind several battling peons. As he paused, Cheren took the free moment to overlook the ongoing battle, and saw with a surge of pride that the ground was strewn with far more Cipher agents than Unovan soldiers. Eldes seemed to notice the same thing, for he soon called for a retreat.

"Cipher peons! We withdraw to the walls of Opelucid! The status of your team matters not, just pull back! We will serve greater purpose there!"

Like a horde of Durants to a fallen apple, the soldiers of Cipher swarmed to the city, pushing their way past the Unovan trainers expediently, avoiding conflict as wholly as possible. In under a minute, Route 11 was completely devoid of Cipher.

"Don't let up!" Cheren shouted to the hesitating soldiers. "Just keep pursuing them! They are surrounded now; we have them exactly where we want them! Now let's finish this!"

Cynthia jumped into the air and was caught by her Braviary, who both then soared back up to the sky legion and shouted something similar. Then, as one collective consciousness, the Third Battalion invaded the city of Opelucid.

Chaos was truly the only word to describe the scene that met Cheren's eyes. The First and Second Battalions, attacking as one from the west, had already broken through the borders of the city. Taking into account that many Cipher peons had fallen outside, and that a good deal more were battling overhead, Cheren knew that Claire's Togepi had not been mistaken; the streets were quite literally filled with trainers and Pokémon. There were no organized one-on-one or even double or triple battle, but merely countless people ordering attacks on anything nearby.

Buildings were burning. The streets were notably flooded in areas. Lightning struck perilously at frequent intervals. The ground would regularly roar and shake, throwing many combatants off balance. Various plants, from entangling snares of grass to a few massive trees to creeping vines, sprouted from cracks in the ground. Barely a square foot of space was not covered in rubble or carnage. For the barest fraction of a second, Cheren paused, taking in the chaos, before lunging into the frenzied battlefield with his soldiers.

Once amongst the disorder himself, it ceased to be disorder at all. With Gigalith and Haxorus battling in front of him, and Unfezant defending him from behind, each attack, each motion, each death from either side made sense. He would spot a Cipher peon commanding a Seviper and set Gigalith against it with an Earthquake, and have Haxorus X-Scissor a Cacturne two seconds later. At the periphery of his vision, he would see a Cipher agent swoop down on an Aerodactyl, and would swiftly ground them with Unfezant's Steel Wing. His reactions were immediate and instinctive, as though he had watched the entire battle take place several times before entering it himself. Every trainer was just perfectly predictable.

But then, just as Haxorus was fending off a Ninjask, Cheren caught a glimpse of a vibrant red blur rush from the window of a blazing building. He felt a soaring sense of mingled relief and triumph as Alder and his Volcarona landed just a few feet to Cheren's left.

"Champion! Are you all right?" Cheren shouted over the tumult, but Alder either did not hear him or was too preoccupied to respond. Within moments, Cheren realized that it was likely the latter, as what could only have been the other Cipher Admin, Ardos, leapt from the same window with black Cipher Pokéball in each hand. He threw one to unleash an Alakazam, who levitated slightly with a bored expression, while the other soared over Cheren's head, and he soon lost track of it.

"You really continue to resist us?" Ardos spat furiously. "Foolish Champion!"

"I have nothing to say to you," Alder said, with a kind of calm, righteous anger as he jumped off of Volcarona. "You invade my home with no provocation whatsoever and kill my people. I will not stand for this! I will stop you here!"

"Then you have chosen death!" Ardos shrieked. "Alakazam, Fire Punch!"

"Volcarona, Bug Buzz!" Alder countered. In the same moment, Cheren leapt forward with his unoccupied Unfezant, shouting "U-turn!"

The Alakazam struck Volcarona with a pyrokinetic fist, but the Sun Pokémon easily shook off the blow and sent waves of energy at his foe. The Alakazam teleported out of the way, but failed to see Cheren's Unfezant, who badly slashed its face and returned to Cheren, though not before taking a retaliatory Thunder Punch. Cheren then called Haxorus and Gigalith back to him, ready to overcome the Cipher Admin.

"Cheren, on your right!" Alder called out, giving Cheren just enough time to dive out of the way of a charging Donphan, which tore past him with a Rollout attack, stopping at Ardos's side. As he stood up, he again caught sight of a blob of shadowy energy, and again rolled swiftly out of the Shadow Ball's path. He quickly set ordered Gigalith to confront the offending Gengar, which he was surprised to find Eldes scolding.

"I did not tell you to attack the boy!" he yelled angrily. "You are to attack his Pokémon!"

"Get over your self-righteousness, Eldes!" Ardos shouted back. "Help me with these two, and that means fighting _them_, not just their Pokémon!"

Though the Cipher Admins, as well as Cheren himself, had been distracted by this sequence of arrivals, Alder had evidently remained focused on his opponents, as his Druddigon lunged across the fray to Eldes's Gengar, delivering a powerful Night Slash attack. The Gengar shook the blow off, however, and Eldes countered by sending out his Kingdra.

"Dragon Pulse, Kingdra! And Gengar, use Shadow Ball on the Gigalith!"

"Again, Druddigon!" Alder called out. "You too, Volcarona!"

"Gigalith, Smack Down on the Gengar! Then you'll know what to do!" Cheren shouted, thinking ahead a couple turns. "And Haxorus, X-Scissor the Alakazam!"

"Heh, so quick to assume," Ardos laughed. "Alakazam, Ice Punch the Haxorus! Donphan, finish that moth with another Rollout!"

The chaotic order of the commands and the varying speeds of each Pokémon made the subsequent series of strikes very difficult for even as experienced a trainer as Cheren to follow. He saw both of Eldes's Pokémon attack Gigalith and Druddigon, but the resilient Pokémon both shook off the blows and lashed out themselves. The Gengar floated just out of the reach of Druddigon's Night Slash attack, but plummeted to the ground when Gigalith's Smack Down struck it squarely in the face. Cheren then glanced to Haxorus, and gathered from the frost on his head and the gashes across Alakazam's face that he had both hit and been hit. Volcarona, however, lay on the ground, quivering in pain from Donphan's Rollout attack.

"Finish it, Donphan!" Ardos screamed.

"No!" Cheren shouted, unwilling to allow his mentor to lose another close friend. "Haxorus, stop it with Outrage!"

As the Donphan struggled to turn around against its momentum and strike again, Haxorus rammed violently into it, throwing it far away from Volcarona, whom Alder returned hastily to his Pokéball. Cheren noted that the Donphan had been knocked unconscious and turned to the other half of the battle. He saw the Gigalith had understood his previous command, and had finished off the Gengar with an Earthquake coupled with a Night Slash from Druddigon. He considered his next move for a moment, but Eldes's next command filled him with terror.

"Kingdra, Hydro Pump the Gigalith."

In a rush of fear and adrenaline, Cheren frantically charged towards his Gigalith, grasping around in his bag for a hyper potion, but he knew he was too slow. He saw Kingdra begin his attack before he had found a single potion. He began to reach for Gigalith's Pokéball to recall him, but Alder suddenly spoke out.

"Take the hit, Druddigon! Then _you_ use Outrage!"

The Cave Dragon Pokémon dove in the way of the massive torrent of water. He shook the blast off with little difficulty, and smashed the Kingdra out of the way. He briefly pondered what he should have Gigalith do next, but Ardos's next order disrupted his thoughts.

"Ice Punch and Psychic the Haxorus, Alakazam!"

Cheren turned hastily back to his Axe Jaw Pokémon, only to barely catch sight of Alakazam smashing him with a freezing fist and blasting him back with psychic energy. He landed next to Druddigon and Gigalith, whom Cheren was alarmed to see had been knocked out by what seemed to be Ice Beam and Hydro Pump attacks in the past few seconds by the incredibly resilient Kingdra. His hand quickly fell to another Pokéball, and with a burst of pride, he sent out his starter.

"Go Serperior! Dragon Tail the Kingdra, and Leaf Blade the Alakazam!"

His green serpent immediately smashed the Kingdra away with a sharp flick of her tail, and seemingly knocked it unconscious at last. But as she rounded on the Alakazam, Ardos let out a snort.

"Fire and Ice Punches, Alakazam," he laughed as he sent out a Heracross. "And fend that charging Bouffalant off with Close Combat, Heracross."

"Dodge it and use a real Head Charge, Bouffalant!" Alder shouted.

Cheren vaguely saw the Heracross and Bouffalant exchange blows as his Serperior fought valiantly with the Alakazam. She sliced out with the sharp leaves on her tail, and Alakazam threw forceful punches with flaming and freezing fists, but neither could manage to get a hit on the other. After what seemed like minutes of swift and skillful dueling, Serperior finally slashed across the Alakazam's already-bleeding face. The Alakazam barely seemed to notice, however, and immediately seized Serperior's tail. He jerkily pulled her in, crushed her about the neck, and began rapidly punching her with alternating fire and ice. After less than a second, he threw her limp and frail form to the ground amongst the other fallen Pokémon.

"Heracross, wipe out this pitiful pile with Megahorn!" Ardos yelled out, cackling triumphantly. Cheren's blood froze much as though he himself had been stuck with an Ice Punch as Heracross turned from the unconscious Bouffalant and charged at fainted pile of Serperior, Gigalith, Haxorus, and Druddigon, ready to impale them all with its sharp horn. Cheren tossed all of his Pokémon's Pokéballs at them in an attempt to recall them, but Ardos leapt over the heap of bodies and knocked the balls away, still laughing rather madly. Cheren's hands fell to his other three Pokéballs, but Simipour was unconscious, Unfezant was injured, and Liepard was badly poisoned. The mighty Megahorn attack could kill any of them. There seemed no way out.

And then, it was time that froze, as though Dialga himself had let out a mighty roar. Cheren could not see where exactly Alder came from, but only that he was very suddenly in the path of the Heracross's blazing Megahorn. The moment that the horn pierced the stomach of Cheren's mentor held for what felt like hours, burning its image into Cheren's mind. After time seemed to decide that it had assured that Cheren would never forget that moment, it rushed unrelentingly onward, and, though the confused Heracross flew over its true target, it smashed Alder against the wall of a building, driving the horn entirely through. Cheren stared in shock, not knowing what to think or feel.

Ardos seemed about to give another command, but Eldes appeared at his side and pulled on his arm rather powerfully. Ardos attempted to brush him off, but Eldes forced him to face him.

"We are losing, Ardos," he stated, a touch of worry tinting his usual amplified voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ardos half-laughed incredulously. "I just killed one of them, fool! We-"

"I am not talking about this one small confrontation, _Ardos_," Eldes cut across angrily. "I am talking about this entire battle. They are defeating us."

"What? That's not even possible! We have them so greatly outnumbered, and we have Shadow Pokémon! How could-"

"Because _you_ insisted on bringing the entire sky legion to Mistralton, and then promptly left them all to die," Eldes bitterly interrupted again. "In _this_ battle, we had very few aerial forces to compensate for their vast numbers in that area, and were effectively just being attacked from above ten minutes in! And now we are losing, and we need to retreat!"

"What? But-"

"_Now_," Eldes unmistakably ordered, and began dragging his fellow Admin away. Ardos hastened to withdraw his Heracross and Alakazam, who were standing idly without orders or opponents. He then seemed to notice the frozen Cheren, for he called out to him irately.

"This isn't over, boy! We'll take care of you and all your friends just like your Champion here!"

The heat of his words thawed out Cheren and ignited in him a blazing fury stronger than he had ever known. He made to lunge at the Admins, but they leapt onto the back of Kyurem and were in the sky before he was even close.

"Cipher peons!" Eldes called out. "We have lost! You are now ordered to flee to the League, where we shall reconvene and escape! If you choose not to do so, you will inevitable die! Go now!"

As the ice dragon bearing the Cipher Admins tore away, and many Cipher peons hastened to obey the orders, Cheren hurried to his old teacher's side. The Champion was remarkably still conscious, albeit just barely. Cheren knelt down at his side, and his eyes flickered open weakly.

"Cheren," he said softly. "You fought valiantly, and successfully. Our land is free."

"Champion, we've got to get you to the Pokémon Center!" Cheren cried, a bit hysterically, but Alder merely laughed.

"The Pokémon Center here is in no state to take any patients, and I won't make it to another city. But do not worry. My death is not in vain, for our home has been saved."

"No!" Cheren howled, splitting the skin on his knuckles as he punched the wall. "You can't die! You're the Champion! You're too strong!"

"No amount of strength can stop death forever," Alder said calmly. "You know that. You know what strength is, don't you?"

"It's…" Cheren murmured, fighting vehemently to hold back tears, as he thought back to all the words of wisdom Alder had given him. "It's fighting for your beliefs. It's refusing to allow anyone to take over your life and command you. It's always striving to do what you think is right, no matter what anyone else says."

"Exactly," Alder nodded with a content sigh. "You are a strong trainer, Cheren. But I know you are angry, and frightened. Before I go, I need to know this: what do you intend to do about Cipher?"

"I…" Cheren began slowly, carefully choosing the most accurate words. "I am going to hunt them down as long as they keep anywhere in their tyrannical grip. And I'm going to force them to stop, one way or another."

"I see," Alder mused simply, his breath growing shorter. "Why?"

"Wh-why?" Cheren stammered. "Because of the terrible atrocities they commit!"

"That they _do commit_… or that they _have committed_?" Alder asked very seriously. Cheren quickly opened his mouth, but found that he did not know the answer. After a few moments of silence, Alder spoke again, with increasingly evident difficulty.

"Remember this… Cheren… Fight to protect people and Pokémon from further harm… Not to gain revenge against those who have caused harm already… Defend, don't attack… Fear and weakness are attacking, but courage and strength are defending… Remember…"

Alder's breathing slowed even more drastically, and he began to sink back.

"Ch-Champion! " Cheren cried. "Champion! _Champion_! Alder…"

"Goodbye, my pupil Cheren. Remember…"

Then, finally, the Champion's body went limp, and his breath slowed to a stop. Cheren found himself trapped in a void of emotion far more overwhelming, chaotic, and indistinguishable than the one that had preceded the battle. The pressure of it rendered him literally immobile for what felt like hours. Although the emotional battle raging within his head consisted of countless sides, two main conflicting thoughts shone above the others.

He desperately wanted to pursue the Admins and kill them. He even knew it would likely save countless more lives if he did so, but he wanted them to pay for all the innocent trainers they killed that day, especially the Champion. But his mentor's last words still rang freshly in his ear, and they urged him to let the Admins flee if they so desired. In truth, he knew that this was the noblest thing to do, and wished that he wanted to do it, but he simply did not. The mental clash stormed on, holding Cheren motionless. But then, finally, they seemed to merge, and he opted for something of a middle path.

He would not kill the Admins, if it could at all be avoided, but he would not allow them to escape. The capture of two of Cipher's leaders could likely be used to force Cipher to back out of other regions, and would save violent conflicts that would otherwise be necessary to free them. He would gain the leaders as prisoners of war.

But he knew he couldn't do it alone. Returning his own Pokémon to their Pokéballs (as well as Alder's Bouffalant and Druddigon to theirs, whom he laid upon Alder's chest with his other Pokémon) he turned and set out to the wreckage and tumult of the streets. He had two friends (or rather, a friend and an ally) to find.

* * *

><p>Claire clung closely to N from the moment they entered the battle. She had tasked herself with the job of defending N from attacks from behind, so N could focus on what was in his own vision. Not many assaults came this way, but the few that did didn't seem to notice the small and inconspicuous Claire, and with the element of surprise she was able to fend them off swiftly. Fortunately, she managed to end each confrontation before her Pokémon could sustain a hit, for if they had, they would have taken serious damage. Instead, they grew notably stronger. Her Seel even evolved into a Dewgong, and sprayed incoming aerial threats with Ice Shard attacks. The battle went very well for her whole team.<p>

And yet, it disturbed her quite a bit; she could not deny that. She had seen death on more than one occasion before, both human and Pokémon, but never on such a massive scale. To see someone plunge from the sky, or be caught in a puddle when lightning struck, or catch fire from an explosion, or be struck about the head from falling rubble… Pokémon or human, Cipher or Unovan, good or bad, it was very unsettling.

But she knew it was necessary. So she fought on.

Then, at some point in the riotous chaos, the giant grey dragon rose into the sky, bearing both Cipher Admins on his back. Claire's heart soared with elation when they ordered a retreat, admitting their loss. She had not noticed the progression of the battle, and had never been able to tell whether or not they were winning. But now that she glanced around, she saw that most Cipher peons were dueling two Unovan trainers, and that the sky was practically devoid of their agents. Nearly all of the Cipher soldiers seized this opportunity, and began fighting their way to the north. Some Unovan soldiers continued fighting, but others merely stared uncertainly and allowed the peons to pass them. Claire was amongst the latter, unsure of how to proceed. She looked up at N to ask him, but was startled by the sudden arrival of White, who was being dragged by the hand by Cheren.

"N, come on!" he shouted. "We need to stop them from escaping! If we can capture them, they'll be tools we can use to get Cipher out of other regions!"

"Are you saying we should hold them for ransom?" N asked warily.

"Ransom at the price of the freedom of other lands! It's not like we're trying to blackmail them into giving us money!"

"He's right, N," White agreed. "It could stop more killing like this. We need to go, like, right now."

"…I suppose you are right," N muttered. "Are your Pokémon okay?"

"We both used the healing machine in the PC," White answered. "Not that hard when there's no nurse there to object to climbing over the counter. Question is, are yours?"

"A few are hurt, but none more seriously than some potions could fix. I'll heal them on the way there," he assured, sending out Altaria. White and Cheren mimicked him with Archeops and Unfezant. But Claire, fearful of being left behind, grabbed hold of N's hand.

"Take me, too!" she insisted, just short of begging. N bit his lip and turned to White.

"Zekrom got a bit hurt, and I'd rather not fly him so he can recover. Could you take Claire on Reshiram?"

"No, of course not, I'm just gonna make Claire stand here with all these strangers," White said with a sarcastic laugh that Claire wasn't sure if she misinterpreted. It didn't sound like something White would do, but…

But here worries were allayed when White switched Archeops for Reshiram. Beaming thankfully, Claire scrambled onto the yang dragon's back after White. As the four trainers soared into the air, White took it upon herself to address the Unovan Army.

"Yo! People! Listen up! We're gonna go finish this! We're gonna capture those Admins and use them to free other places! To do that, we need y'all to cover us and take on the remnants of their army, so we can focus on the Admins! If you can't fly yourself, stay here and stop people from dying! Everyone else, get to the League as quickly as possible! Screw honor, just fly over Victory Road!"

Claire giggled at White's bluntness as they took off northward, followed closely by a good portion of the Unovan Army. The flight was very short, and in almost no time at all they again landed in front of the colossal ruins that were the Pokémon League.

A few peons were standing guard outside the entrance, but White swiftly punched them in the face and hurried in. The statue-elevator was active, likely from Ardos and Eldes's passing through, and the couple of guards reacted too slowly to stop the four trainers from jumping into the glowing circle. One withdrew a Pokéball, but White promptly smacked her across the face as well, before kicking her off the descending statue. When the platform was relatively near the ground, White and Cheren leapt off of it and hurried up the stairs, while N waited with Claire. Summoning her courage, Claire jumped the last few feet as well, and ran up the stairs at top speed with N to catch up to White and Cheren. A few peons were standing ahead, but a sudden clamor from above made them glance around.

"Should we take these guys, or go outside?" Claire heard one of them ask.

"Eldes said to fight the Unovan Army if it showed up, and it sounds like it has. I say we get out of their way. The Admins and Shadow Lord can handle them anyway."

"True enough," another agreed, and they hastened to fly out of the approaching trainers' way before they could be confronted. Several more peons departed likewise, far before Claire's friends reached them. Thus, the four trainers advanced virtually unopposed to the temple at the top of the stairs.

When they finally reached the summit and entered, Claire saw that a throne of sorts seemed to have been placed where the Champion normally awaited challengers. Upon it sat a short, bald, bespectacled man clad in black-and-violet robes, whom Claire had seen only once before, in a portrait in a Cipher base.

"Ah, N Harmonia!" Greevil greeted, his uncanny smile growing. "At last, we meet in person. I trust you have heard quite as much of me as I have of you."

"Shadow Lord Greevil," N said, calmly and evenly, though Claire could hear the anger in his voice. "A member of the triumvirate that heads Cipher, and the leader of the invasion of Unova."

"Indeed," Greevil nodded. "And you, N Harmonia, are the pest that has plagued our facilities all across the regions, in Kanto especially. You just refuse to stop meddling with us. I am afraid this is where your annoyances cease. Eldes!"

Claire suddenly knew what was about to happen before Eldes's hand even touched his Pokéball. She grabbed N's arm tightly, and whispered just loudly enough for him to hear.

"N… He's gonna send out Darkrai."

No sooner had she said this than Eldes, albeit with a look of reluctance, threw his black Pokéball, releasing the Shadow Darkrai and ordering him to use Dark Void. The Pitch-Black Pokémon let out its eerie cry, and the palace immediately grew very dark.

Fear pierced Claire's heart when, abruptly, she could no longer feel N at her side. A slow, ghostly melody began to play, reminiscent of an old music box, coupled with a static noise that seemed to indicate anger to Claire. The sound was horribly unsettling, almost making Claire feel sick. Deep purple auras, like those of Shadow Pokémon, shone through the darkness, not illuminating anything, but still casting their unnatural light. Claire desperately wanted to find N or White, but she didn't dare take a step for fear of attracting the prowling Shadow Pokémon. Gradually, the encircling auras grew closer and closer, as though they could smell Claire's dread, and merely were waiting until her fear spiked to maul her intestines out and devour her. She had known the moment she read the Togepi's aura that Darkrai was terrible to behold, but his power was beyond anything she had known. This was worse than death. She would gladly be clawed to death if it meant escape from this sheer terror.

Instinctively, her hand fell to a Pokéball, as it always did when she was afraid. Without instruction from her frozen brain, her hand clicked the Pokéball open, and Februa's pure, sweet cry disrupted the horrific music. His pale pink aura dispelled the suffocating darkness, and, when he wrapped himself comfortingly around Claire's shoulders, he dispelled her fear just as instantaneously. The world suddenly returned, and she was again standing in the temple of the Pokémon League, between the still-dreaming White and N, who occasionally let out terrified screams.

She had barely opened her eyes, however, when a blinding pain erupted in the left side of her face as Ardos's foot made contact with it. She then found herself suspended in midair by his Alakazam's telekinesis, Februa still around her shoulders, as the Psi Pokémon drew back a fist crackling with electricity…

"Enough, Ardos," Greevil ordered, leaping rapidly from his chair. Claire fell to the ground, but clung tightly to Februa. She scrambled to get up, but suddenly found a tall purple mechanical-looking Pokémon towering over her, with a laser of some sort mounted on its back pointing directly at her.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, dear," Greevil simpered, still smiling creepily. "Genesect hasn't gotten to kill all day, and he would so love a reason. Let's not give him one, shall we?"

Claire did not know how to respond to this, but merely remained as motionless as she could possibly manage, holding Februa close. She realized that, with N, White, and Cheren trapped in Darkrai's hallucinations as they were, she could easily be killed by the Shadow Lord.

"Terribly sorry about how rude I was earlier. You are quite as famous as your friend N amongst the ranks of Cipher. In fact, I would even say more so, given your special talent. And you, of course, already know who I am."

Claire remained silent, still in the grip of fear. She desperately searched for some way out, some possible hope, but nothing came to her.

"And Februa!" Greevil cried out jovially when Claire said nothing. "Who would have thought this slippery little snake could get any more inconvenient than it already was? And yet, here it is, protecting you from Darkrai's power, which was, of course, the only reason we allowed you four to get up here. And the pearly little snakey manages to cause problems again! You know, the reasonable thing to do with things that cause problems so repeatedly is to simply get rid of them."

Here, at last, though she was still trembling with crippling fear, Claire found the strength to speak.

"I-I w-w-won't let y-you h-hurt Februa," she said with as much conviction as she could possibly muster. Greevil's smile spread even wider, and he laughed genially again.

"Why, isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard, boys?" he called out, turning to the Admins. "She won't let us hurt Februa. Well, Claire…"

Suddenly, Greevil lunged back at Claire and seized two of her Pokéballs. She made to object, but Genesect emitted a threatening humming sound, and she settled back down. It was then that she realized he had somehow taken the Pokéballs of Toxicroak and Togepi. He threw them to the ground, releasing each of the newly-purified Pokémon, who looked around uncertainly.

"Now, Claire, I am disappointed in you," Greevil sighed with heavy false sadness. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's wrong to steal? Even worse, to steal _and_ break something?"

Claire's anger briefly flared at Greevil's implications, but it was quickly consumed by her fear again. She was particularly afraid of what might befall the two Pokémon she and Februa had managed to save.

"Ardos!" Greevil suddenly shouted. "Command your Toxicroak."

"Poison Jab the girl, Toxicroak!" Ardos ordered without hesitation. The Toxicroak merely looked over to Claire, stared briefly at her, then turned back to Ardos, croaking unhappily. Claire rather thought she sounded as though she remembered Claire healing her after the purification, and was unwilling to harm her.

"I see," Greevil remarked silkily. "And Eldes! Command your Togepi."

"…Togepi," Eldes said after a moment. "Use Metronome against the girl."

Once again, the Togepi glanced back and for the between Claire and his former master. And, once again, he finally squeaked at the Cipher Admin defiantly. To Claire he sounded more defiant, eager to stand up against Eldes.

"Indeed," Greevil nodded. "I thought so. You _did _break them. We could repair them, true, but that would be costly and unnecessary, when we already have more. Which means we had best simply, ah, get rid of them."

Claire frantically scrambled to stand up, but Genesect smashed her back down, and set a foot on her back. Claire could only watch in horror as Greevil withdrew another black Pokéball and sent out a Shadow Metagross.

"Psychic the Toxicroak, Metagross, and Hammer Arm the Togepi," Greevil coolly ordered, his disturbing smile spreading even wider. Claire struggle against the Genesect to no avail as the fleeing Toxicroak was blasted across the room with telekinetic energy, and the frightened Togepi was swiftly crushed under a heavy steel limb. Toxicroak smashed into a pillar with a sickening crack, and stirred no more, while the Togepi was reduced to a bloody mass on the floor. Tears fell freely from Claire's eyes as she fought ever more vehemently against her captor. Greevil slowly reapproached her, staring down at her face closely.

"Now, don't you think they'd have been better off if you had just let them be? They needn't have died, Claire, don't forget that. They died because of you."

Greevil then sharply turned away from the sobbing, miserable Claire, nodding just slightly to Genesect. In less than a second, Claire's already throbbing temple seemed to burst open as Genesect steel foot collided with it. She just barely heard Februa cry out (though not in pain, but rather as he did when he used Heal Pulse) as she flew several feet back, completely out of the palace, and rolled painfully down the first flight of stairs. When she finally came to a stop on the highest ledge, a Cipher-style electric fence powered on around her, trapping her on the small flat surface. She couldn't quite remember why, due to the blinding pain in the side of her head, but she felt horribly guilty.

With the sheer distance of the stairs, and her blurring vision, Claire could no longer see clearly what was going on in the small temple, but she vaguely heard shouts in White's voice, that sounded as though a fight was about to break out. But just as she vaguely planned to find a way out and help them, a metal wall bearing the emblem of Cipher rose around the entire palace, trapping the combatants inside. As Claire blinked several times to lessen the bright blots of light in her vision and attempted to clear her aching head, a blurry figure stepped out from behind a tall pillar. She shook her head, but the pounding continued to distort her vision, and she could not manage to make out the person as they approached the electric fence and somehow deactivated it by fiddling with one pole.

"Wh-who are y-you?" she stammered.

"As vigilant as ever, I see," a familiar cool voice simpered. Claire's eyes widened, and, though still vague, her sight notable sharpened, enough to confirm the identity of her savior.

"T-Triton!" she gasped. "Wh-what… H-how… Wh-why are-"

"Claire, I really hope you are not about to question my assistance," Triton interrupted. "Would you rather I reactivate the fence and leave you for Greevil to find and run tests on?"

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" Claire yelled back, her mind clearing significantly. As always, her world shrunk to consists only of her bitter rival. "I want to know why you're even here! And I need an answer this time!"

"Very well, Claire," Triton said, smiling slightly. "That's simple enough. I am here because I knew you would be."

"S-so I expect you'll be w-wanting a r-rematch now?" she asked, irritated.

"Precisely," Triton agreed, his smile spreading. In the moonlight, it was oddly, well… nice to look at.

"I d-don't have time for y-you!" Claire defiantly proclaimed, attempting to keep in mind what was important. "I h-have to help my f-friends! I h-have more important c-concerns th-than beating y-you now!"

"That's all well and good, but, in case you hadn't noticed, there is a wall in the way," Triton sarcastically pointed out. "But I have a proposition. I can deactivate that barrier just as easily as I did the electric one. Not only will I let you pass, but I will open the door for you, if you defeat me."

"A-and wh-why should I t-trust you?" Claire threw back.

"What choice do you have?" was Triton's answer.

"W-well…" Claire mumbled. While she didn't want to waste the time, Triton had a good point, and, in all honesty, she did rather want to fight him again.

"F-fine! Let's do it!" she finally agreed, throwing her Graveler's Pokéball.

"Glad you agree," Triton said with a smirk as he sent out Sneasel. The two trainers and Pokémon contemplated each other briefly, before initiating the starlit battle.

"Rock Blast, Grav!"

"Use Dig, Sneasel!"

Graveler sent several sharp stones flying at the Sharp Claw Pokémon, but she swiftly burrowed underground before they could make contact. Graveler looked around cautiously, ready to strike the moment Sneasel resurfaced, but she lunged aboveground directly below him, launching him a decent ways into the air. He recovered with a quick roll the moment he hit the ground, however, and immediately countered with a second barrage of rocks. These did in fact make contact, knocking the Sneasel back a few feet. She too recovered with a roll, and charged forward again, ready for more.

"Ice Shards, Sneasel!"

"Now Rock Smashes, Grav!"

The frigid shards pelted Graveler painfully, but he shook them off without much difficulty before delivering a shattering punch to Sneasel's stomach. Sneasel stumbled, but again did not faint, and fought back with another volley of ice pellets. Graveler, struggling under the growing ice across his face, again smashed her, but she once again returned to her feet.

"She's gotten stronger, Triton," Claire quietly remarked.

"As has he," Triton commended. "But I'm afraid it's over. Sneasel, Dig again."

"Graveler," Claire said, seized with a sudden idea. "Use Magnitude."

Triton attempted to stop Sneasel, but she was almost instantaneously underground. Graveler then pounded mightily on the ground, making it roar and shake violently. The quake opened up a crack in the floor, from which Sneasel weakly crawled before collapsing.

"…A good move," Triton admitted bitterly. "But this is truly the end for you Graveler now. Waterfall, Gyarados!"

"Rock Blast, Grav! Get as many Rock Blasts in as you can!"

The instant Triton's Gyarados appeared, Graveler was pelting her with chunks of rock. However, he only managed to get four hits in before the sea serpent struck him with a watery tackle. When he crashed to the floor, he struggled to stand back up before finally collapsing.

"Good job, Grav!" Claire praised as she recalled her Rock Pokémon. "Dragon Breath, Zwei!"

"Really, Claire? Zweilous?" Triton laughed. "Ice Fang, Gyarados!"

The atrocious sea snake chomped the dark dragon with frigid fangs, but Zweilous managed to shake the blow off and spat a draconic shockwave. As it hit Gyarados, she seemed to tense up with a crackle of electricity.

"She's paralyzed!" Claire cheered. "Problem, Triton?"

"Maybe to you it would be, Claire, but not to me! Again, Gyarados!"

Zweilous again exhaled with a blast of dragon energy, landing a critical hit that nearly felled the sea serpent, but Gyarados withstood the attack and again lashed out with her teeth. The collecting frost rapidly increased into a fairly thick layer of ice, and Zweilous was rendered unable to move.

"She's frozen," Triton mocked. "Problem, Claire?"

Claire angrily bit her lip and rummaged hurriedly through her bag, but found that her limited supplied did not include any Ice Heals. Thus, Zweilous stood helplessly as Gyarados slashed her with her fangs again, shattering the ice but knocking her unconscious. Still grimacing, Claire recalled Zweilous for her newly-evolved Dewgong.

"…Well that's inconvenient," Triton murmured. "I suppose… try Bulldoze, Gyarados."

"Just use Headbutt, Dewgong!"

Dewgong leapt forward and crashed into Gyarados with her sharp horn before Gyarados could begin to attack. The weakened sea serpent trembled and fell to the ground at last.

"Hmph," Triton mumbled. "Staravia, Retaliate."

"Just avoid it, Dew!" Claire called out. "You know how!"

Having taken Staravia's double-strength Retaliate attack before, Dewgong hastily flopped to the side and rolled in a circle, landing just behind the striking Starling Pokémon. She then quickly took the initiative and blasted Staravia with a gust of Icy Wind.

"Now that was just unfair!" Triton proclaimed irritably. "U-Turn back, Staravia!"

"Ice Shards, Dew, Ice Shards!"

The swift ice razors pelted Staravia as she dashed forward, throwing her off course. She wavered badly before crashing into the ground next to Dewgong, who knocked her out with another Ice Shard attack before she could return to the air.

"Now that was _really_ unfair!" Triton fumed. "That's it, Fury Cutter spam, Karrablast!"

"Um, try Water Pulse, Dew!" Claire said uncertainly.

Karrablast quickly slashed Dewgong across the face, but she shook it off easily and threw him back with a pulse of water. The tiny clamping bug leapt back up determinedly and slashed Dewgong again. Once again, she ignored the gash and sent a blast of water at him. Karrablast avoided this attack, however, and moved in for another strike. The wound that split open was much wider this time, and Dewgong dazedly blasted him away with another Water Pulse. The resilient Karrablast sliced her for a four time, and she finally collapsed with surprisingly large bleeding gashes.

"You fought well, Dew; I'm sorry" Claire lamented, though a bit unsettled by the lack of intensity of her sadness. As she recalled her sea lion, she thought only about which Pokémon she should send out next, and barely reflected on her own failure. She quickly decided on Shelmet, as Karrablast's overpowered Fury Cutter would be bad news for Februa.

"Quickly! Another Fury Cutter!" Triton called out immediately.

"Shelly, use Bide, then dodge," Claire coolly ordered.

Before Triton could revoke his command, Karrablast violently slashed Shelmet, who has retreated into her shell. He moved in for another, but Triton hastily interrupted.

"No! No! Use Toxic instead!" Triton shouted, rather surprising Claire. Another Fury Cutter would have likely knocked out Shelmet, but his panicked change of tactic made success all the easier.

Karrablast stopped his strike sharply and instead drenched Shelmet with a bubbling, noxious liquid. In the next instant, however, Shelmet charged forward, delivering a mighty tackle that threw Karrablast back against a pillar. The clamping bug limped forward a few steps before stumbling over and fainting.

"Okay, that was my mistake," Triton bitterly announced.

"A-and Shelly's strength," Claire simpered.

"No it wasn't! It was actually _Karrablast's_ strength!" Triton shouted irately. "If anything, it was her sheer durability!"

"Her strength," Claire amended with a grin. Triton grumbled something quietly before sending out his final Pokémon.

"Regain health with Mega Drain, Shelly!" Claire yelled.

"I don't think so," Triton cut in. "Payback, Machoke!"

Shelmet absorbed nutrients from Machoke with a green pulse of light, healing her badly damaged armor slightly. Machoke, however, jumped forward and fiercely pounded her with heavy fists. When he leapt back, Shelmet had fainted.

"I-I'm sorry, Shelly!" Claire called out, again feeling guilt for her relative lack of guilt. She did in fact feel bad for her Pokémon, but she found that her mind almost immediately moved on to the next phase of the battle, and that the sadness was rather short-lived. What was wrong with her? Was she becoming like those she fought against?

But she did not dwell on this, either, and soon sent out her last Pokémon. The endgame was at hand, and it could sway either way.

"Payback, Machoke!" Triton again commanded.

"Confusion, Februa!" Claire ordered. "But wait until you get hit!"

Februa hesitated as Machoke charged forward and beat Februa savagely. Then, just after the first hit, he threw the Superpower Pokémon back with a burst of psychic energy. This gave Machoke a chance for a double-strength counter, however, and his next brutal blow threw Februa to the ground. Machoke towered over the exhausted Februa, glaring down triumphantly with his fist raised for the final strike.

"F-Februa!" Claire cried out, her sadness increasing exponentially. In that moment, she realized that, although she held an unbreakable bond with all of her Pokémon and thought of them all as her family, her connection to Februa was special. While she would be miserable without any of her Pokémon, she thought right then that Februa's end would mean her own.

In the rush of emotion for her small shining serpentine soul mate, she saw her aura extend out and meld with Februa's, just as she had done with Zweilous in her previous battle with Triton. She suddenly felt an influx of emotions, identical in nature to her own, yet immediately identifiable as Februa's. Her own glow mingled with Februa's into a brilliant pink, and she could hear Februa whispering.

"_I love you, Claire."_

"_I love you too, Februa," _she thought back.

Then, as Machoke's final blow descended, Februa suddenly glowed with blinding white light. As he rose back into the air, out of the way of the strike, he grew noticeably larger. The small finlike extension on his side broke off, and reformed into two disembodied claws. Claire could feel an incredible surge of power flow into her. Instinctively, she knew what was happening, but could not understand how.

When the light faded, Reinigen let out his distinctive cry, which had curiously remained unchanged, and blasted the astounded Machoke back with a powerful Confusion attack. Claire walked in a dreamlike trance over to Reinigen, who was now slightly taller than her. She set her hand on his back and rubbed it gently, observing Triton, who seemed unusually unsurprised as he recalled his Machoke.

"Well, I suppose you've won. Again," he remarked, also surprisingly nonchalant. "Let's get you up to your friends, then."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: NOBODY PANIC. THIS IS NOT THE END OF PART 1: UNOVA, AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO WAIT THREE WEEKS FOR IT.<strong>

**Okay, so basically, this chapter already passed deviantART's size limit for submissions, so I split it into two, and I want it to be consistent between dA and here. That's all. Chapter 12 should be up later tonight, tomorrow at the very latest.**


	13. Chapter 12: VS Shadow Lord Greevil

Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 12: VS Shadow Lord Greevil

The moment that Darkrai let out its disturbing static-like cry, White's vision became eerily distorted. Colors seemed to fade and blend together, and the outside of the palace became pitch black. A bright flash filled her sight, and N, Cheren, and Claire were reduced to crumpled, bleeding heaps on the icy stone floor. The darkness closed in around her, leaving only the length of ground on which her friends lay visible. Greevil's unsettling smile floated around in the darkness, and White could not tell if its maniacal laugh was her imagination or not.

She frantically struggled to do something for her apparently dying friends, but her feet seemed to be stuck to the floor. She waved her arms at them, almost reaching Claire, but Greevil's masklike face was abruptly inches from hers, and the echoing laughter grew even louder.

"Gah! Leave me alone!" White shouted, throwing a punch at the disembodied face. Her hand merely traveled through it, however, and the cackling amplified further.

White was contemplating suicide by the time the warm light reached her and made the horrific vision falter. The images of her dead friends, of the face of Greevil, and of the crushing darkness faded to barely-noticeable shadows of true existence. She turned dazedly to her left, seeking the source of the light that freed her.

And caught sight of Claire being literally kicked out of the temple by a Genesect.

The blazing rage that ignited in her heart dispelled the last of the darkness. N and Cheren and Claire dying, the tormenting mask, none of that was real. The Genesect kicking Claire on Greevil's orders, that was. Very real. White abruptly seized N's hand on one side and Cheren's on the other, and, on an impulse, pulled them over to her and smashed their foreheads together.

"Ow!" Cheren shouted irritatedly, as he and N stumbled backwards, shaking their heads. White quickly took a hold of both of their hands again, hoping that she could somehow channel the light she suspected came from Februa into them and keep them tethered to earth and out of the Dark Void attack.

"N! Cheren!" she shouted at them. "Stay with me! We need to fight!"

"Wh-what?" N stammered.

"N, go check on Claire! Greevil's Genesect just kicked her down the frickin stairs!"

"I- _what_?" N asked, the shock rapidly waking him up. He turned to run without waiting for a response, but a huge steel wall rose around the palace, cutting off the light of the moon and stars, so that only the torches lit the room.

"Oh, I don't think so," Greevil snickered. "She'll be perfectly safe between those electric barriers I built for intruders until I retrieve her. Now, I don't know what that infernal worm has done this time, but it seems that it's given you resistance to Darkrai's power. No matter. We will simply crush you now!"

Genesect swiftly flipped in front of his master, while Darkrai ceased actively using his power and floated in front of his own. Ardos then quickly sent out Kyurem, and the three Shadow legendaries stared down the three trainers who could claim the title of the Champion of Unova.

"Blue Flare on the Genesect, Reshiram!" White shouted, releasing her yang dragon.

"Freeze Shock them all, Kyurem!" Ardos shouted to the wuji dragon.

"Dragon Claw Kyurem, Zekrom!" N yelled, completing the trio with his yin dragon.

"Brick Break the Darkrai!" Cheren ordered his Haxorus, taking the last target.

"Genesect, Cyro Blasts all around," Greevil cackled. "You see, little trainers, we have designed a Drive for Genesect that can serve as any of the four types, and-"

"Darkrai, use Dark Void," Eldes interrupted calmly.

Each command rang out at roughly the same time, and White was a bit surprised to see that none of the Pokémon had been at all thrown off by this. Genesect moved first, fire frigid Techno Blast attacks rapidly across the room. These struck each of the three opposing dragons twice before Reshiram enveloped the Paleozoic Pokémon with brilliant cobalt flames. Cheren's Haxorus leapt up and smashed the levitating Darkrai to the ground before it could initiate its Dark Void again, but was then blasted against the wall by a bolt of ice energy from Kyurem. The boundary dragon continued to fire stray blasts of electrified ice until Zekrom charged forward and slashed it across the face. Just then, though, Darkrai managed to glide over to Zekrom and cast its dark sleep on him, who was then susceptible to repeated ice blasts from Kyurem.

"Reshiram, Dragon Pulse Kyurem!" White hastened to shout.

"Haxorus, follow that up with Outrage!" Cheren added.

Reshiram and Haxorus quickly came to their fellow Dragon-type's aid. As Haxorus leapt in the way of an Ice Burn attack and furiously slashed at Kyurem, who was then thrown backwards with Reshiram's mighty draconic aura. Evidently of its own accord, Darkrai began unleashing howling Blizzards, badly wounding the three dragons. In this chaotic struggle, the badly burned Genesect was nearly forgotten, until Greevil issued his next command.

"Genesect, why don't you use Explosion on this merry little party?"

Before any trainers could react, the Paleozoic Pokémon leapt gracefully into the midst of the struggling titans and violently self-destructed. As each Pokémon had already sustained heavy injuries, all five were thrown backwards, narrowly avoided by their trainers, and immediately fainted.

Having no clue what her foes would send out next, White's hand fell to the Pokéball of her oldest, strongest friend. To her right and left, N and Cheren reasoned likewise, releasing a Breloom White knew to be Zoroark and Serperior respectively as White sent out Samurott. As far as she knew, the Cipher leaders followed the same reasoning, as Ardos sent out his Alakazam, and Eldes his Flygon, while Greevil set his presumably strong Crobat.

"Samurott, Blizzard the Flygon!" White yelled.

"Just use Earthquake, Flygon," Eldes countered.

"Poison Fang the snake, Crobat," Greevil snickered.

"Counter with your new Stone Edge, Serperior!" Cheren shouted.

"Alakazam! Punch everything!" Ardos yelled. "Fire on Breloom! Ice on Serperior! Thunder on Samurott!"

"No! Z- er, Breloom! Night Daze the Alakazam!" N interrupted.

Before anyone else could even twitch, Crobat soared forward and savagely raked Serperior with its razor-sharp teeth. For a moment she flinched in agony as the venom set in, but she smashed the ground with her tail, sending several sharp stones into the air. She then swiftly smacked each one, nailing the Crobat in the face with four jagged rocks. Just as she attempted to strike the fifth, Alakazam backhanded her with a cyrokinetic fist, just before "Breloom" blasted it back with a pure-black shockwave. At the same time, Samurott summoned a mighty Blizzard that howled around the Flygon, who then crashed the ground, sending a massive quake throughout the room that threw everyone badly off balance. Even after the sequence of carnage ended, none of the Pokémon had fainted, though Zoroark had reverted back to its true appearance.

"U-Turn out against the Serperior, Crobat."

"No! Finish it with Stone Edge first, Serperior!"

Serperior again blasted the Crobat with jagged stones, but the venomous bat ignored the pain and slashed Serperior across the face as it turned sharply upward and returned to its master. Serperior waved uneasily for a moment before finally collapsing. White's attention was drawn from Cheren's newly sent-out Simipour as Alakazam struck her Samurott with a mighty Thunder Punch. Before she could call out a counter, however, Zoroark lunged forward with another Night Daze attack that critically hit Psi Pokémon, at last throwing it unconscious. White glanced around quickly before deciding on the same move again.

"Blizzard again, Samurott!" White shouted.

"Follow that up with Ice Beam, Simipour!"

"Night Daze him, Zoroark!"

"Hyper Beam, Flygon," Eldes said with his strangely amplified voice.

"How about a few Energy Balls, Deoxys?" Greevil chuckled.

The rapid stream of attacks quickly threatened to overwhelm the Flygon, but in the midst of them it managed to fire a massive beam that badly wounded Zoroark just as he unleashed a surge of darkness. He stumbled weakly before collapsing, but the combination of attacks from Samurott and Simipour protected him from harm until N recalled him. The Flygon too fainted, but before either Water-type could celebrate, however, a shining gold Deoxys mutated into its attack forme and fired several bright green masses of energy that severely injured both opponents. Samurott swayed dazedly, and seemed about to pass out, but somehow managed to find the strength to hang on.

"Samurott!" White yelled, knowing this would be his last move. "Hydro Cannon!"

The exhausted Samurott looked for a moment like he was simply too tired, but then let out a vehement shout and blasted the Deoxys with a colossal torrent of water. The Deoxys mutated into its defense forme just before impact, but the huge jet threw it powerfully against a pillar regardless. So great was the sheer amount of water that the floor remained room literally became a foot-deep pool. The robust defense Deoxys shook the blow off, however, and, mutating once again, sent another volley of Energy Balls at Samurott, who at last fell unconscious.

Each of the trainers, White noticed, immediately took the flood to their advantage by sending out Water-types. N's Carracosta was engaging Eldes's Kingdra, and Cheren's Simipour was attempting to dodge the swift strikes of the Golduck that Greevil's switched for his shiny Deoxys. Ardos, meanwhile, sent out his own Deoxys, which began zooming around the room with Extreme Speed attacks. Seizing the opportunity for type advantage, White hastened to release her Leavanny.

"Leaf Blade the Golduck, Lea!" she shouted. "And X-Scissor the Deoxys!"

Leavanny leapt gracefully into the air and stabbed down at the rapidly swimming Golduck with her sharp leafy arm. But the kappa-like Pokémon easily tore out of the way, and promptly countered with an Ice Beam fired from the jewel on its head. Frost coated Leavanny, and the water around her froze solid, holding her in place. The attack forme Deoxys then charged at her, but she broke from her icy imprisonment and slashed it across the face with her crossed arms. It quivered uneasily for a moment, but then, at Ardos's command, blasted her back with a Psycho Boost. It charged up to her unconscious body, raising its whip-like arms, but White hurriedly withdrew her from the battle before the DNA Pokémon could finish her off.

As she expediently surveyed the battle, she was dismayed to see Kingdra defeat Carracosta with a Dragon Pulse, while a Psyshock from Golduck felled Simipour. Her friends made to send out their next Pokémon, but a brilliant, horribly reckless idea formed in White's mind.

"Guys, wait! Climb a pillar!" she shouted, as she hastened to do likewise while sending out Zebstrika. Greevil and Eldes realized what was about to happen with just enough time to scramble onto the throne, and the Deoxys seemed to understand, for it levitated a good ways above the water's surface. But the Water-types as well as Ardos were still in the pool when White issued her insane command.

"Wild Charge, Zebstrika!"

The lightning zebra lunged at the speedy Golduck, enveloped in a mass of electricity. His mighty tackle missed, but it did not matter; the powerful surge of energy that flowed throughout the pool shocked the Golduck and Kingdra into unconsciousness. Ardos fell to the ground and writhed in pain for a good ten seconds before the current dissipated. He was left lying weakly in the pool, gasping for breath, with his flesh scarred and even slightly melted.

At that point, the five other trainers leapt down from their perches to resume the battle. With an enraged cry, Ardos pulled some sort of potion from his pocked, sprayed it over his wounds, which healed just barely, and let out a shrieking command no one but Deoxys understood. The Deoxys sped at White and lashed her harshly with its tentacles before she could react. It made to strike her again, but she kicked it away, and Zebstrika blasted it with a swift Shock Wave attack that remained safely above the water. The wounded Deoxys seemed about to strike once again, but Cheren's Liepard landed on it, pinned it to the floor, and viciously slashed it with Shadow Claw and Night Slash attacks. At last, the Deoxys fainted.

"Get rid of this damn water with an Earthquake, Donphan!" Ardos screamed as he swapped his beaten viral Pokémon for the massive Armor Pokémon. The Donphan crash to the ground with incredibly force, creating violent tremors and deep cracks in the floor. The water began to slowly seep out, freeing up Zebstrika to safely attack, but the Earthquake critically threw him back, and he did not stir. White bit her lip as she recalled him, and again overlooked the other combatants.

Cheren's Liepard was engaging another regular red Deoxys that White assumed to be Eldes's, as they were evidently standard-issue amongst the high-ranking members. As Liepard sliced the alien with critical Night Slashes, Deoxys lashed out with devastating Brick Breaks. N's Breloom bombarded the Donphan with Seed Bombs, narrowly avoiding its Fire Fang chomps. When Greevil sent out a Luxray that also lunged at Breloom with unusually sharp fiery incisors, White threw Excadrill's Pokéball, ordering a Drill Run attack.

The Luxray was thrown backwards, sustaining serious gashes, but immediately countered with a flaming bite against Excadrill. She made to strike again, but their duel was interrupted when Cheren's Liepard crashed into them, having been finally defeated by Eldes's notably wounded Deoxys. It raised its whip-like arms again, but a Seed Bomb from Breloom, who stood triumphantly atop the fainted Donphan, knocked it to the ground. In the midst of this distraction, the Luxray tackled fungal fighter, pinning her to the ground and biting her with now-frigid fangs. N's Camerupt blasted it off with Earth Power, allowing N to recall her before she could sustain any more serious injuries. When Cheren's Gigalith joined Camerupt and Excadrill, White stumbled upon another, slightly less insane plan.

"Excadrill, use Sandstorm! It won't hurt our team!"

She was disappointed, however, to see that, as Ardos had sent out his Scizor, and Greevil his Metagross, only Eldes's Roserade was phased by the raging sandstorm. Fortunately, however, it still increased the strength of her Excadrill.

Greevil's Metagross confronted Excadrill and Camerupt with a powerful Earthquake, while Scizor and Roserade ganged up against Gigalith with Iron Head and Petal Dance attacks. Between Metagross's Earthquakes, Camerupt's Eruptions, and Excadrill's Drill Run's, the air was filled with an even greater amount of sand filled the air, and White was surprised that the building didn't come crashing down on their heads. But, of course, it was made for Pokémon battles, after all.

"Iron Head again, Scizor!" Ardos cried out.

"Finish it with Petal Dance, Rose," Eldes ordered.

"Gigalith… Explosion!" Cheren shouted, a bit reluctantly. The sand was notably cleared from the air when Gigalith violently blew up, throwing both of his attackers off and knocking them out.

"Metagross, Hammer Arm the mole," Greevil laughed in the chaos.

"No! Earth Power, Camerupt!" N shouted.

"Hit another Drill Run!" White yelled to her Subterrene Pokémon, but she knew she was too late. The Metagross crushed her beneath a heavy metal arm, leaving her a broken, bleeding mass. Before it could strike again, however, Camerupt's Earth Power blasted it back, knocking it too unconscious.

"Why don't you Psycho Boost that obnoxious camel, Deoxys?" Greevil simpered, sending his somewhat injured shiny Deoxys back out. Before any other trainers had even grabbed their next Pokéball, the DNA Pokémon blasted Camerupt back with a powerful stream of psychic energy.

As White's hand fell to her next Pokéball, she was alarmed to find that it was her last one. She had completely lost track of the number of Pokémon that each trainer had cycled through. Were they close to winning? Were their opponents too on their last Pokémon? She desperately hoped so.

"Thunderbolt the Unfezant, Gengar," Eldes said as coolly as ever as he sent out his gaseous ghost.

"Heracross! Use Close Combat on the Archeops!" Ardos called out, releasing his giant beetle.

"Archeops, Crunch the Gengar!" White yelled fiercely, hoping to channel her determination into her Pokémon.

"Altaria, Draco Meteors!" N ordered.

"Unfezant, use Sky Attack on the Heracross!" Cheren shouted, fuming with rage. White was taken aback for a moment, before she recalled that the Heracross was the Pokémon that killed Alder.

Unfezant immediately began charging energy, and motionlessly allowed Gengar's Thunderbolt to strike him. Before Gengar could summon another, Archeops soared forward and viciously bit the spirit, wounding it badly. However, Heracross then soared up and repeatedly punched Archeops, throwing her off balance and allowing Gengar to strike her with another Thunderbolt. It prepared to finish her off, but a bright purple comet struck it first. The Heracross prepared to attack again, but Unfezant fiercely tore at it from the ceiling and slashed it savagely with his beak. It fell to the ground, but astoundingly did not faint.

"Deoxys," Greevil murmured silkily. "Use Rock Slide on these pretty little birdies."

The Deoxys, having silently surveyed the battle, sent a pulse of energy up to the ceiling that caused it to collapse. White just narrowly rolled out of the way of a boulder, but the heavy rocks struck each of their Pokémon. Archeops fainted, and, although Altaria initially did not, she immediately soared down to N, who, White saw with horror, had also been knocked out in the cave-in. As Altaria attempted to protect N, Heracross lunged at her and savagely Night Slashed her. The starlight that now shone through the holes in the roof was bitterly ironic, as their hopes of victory had just been crushed.

"It's not over yet!" Cheren cried somewhat madly. "U-Turn the Deoxys, Unfezant!"

Miraculously, Unfezant managed to glide swiftly to the Deoxys and slice it across the face, at last knocking it unconscious. Unfezant soared upward triumphantly, but Greevil merely cackled.

"Oh, silly bird," he snickered. "Crobat! End this worthless battle with Poison Fang!"

Unfezant turned sharply around, but the Crobat was too fast, and brutally pierced his left wing with toxic teeth. Unfezant fell to the ground rather pathetically, and the venom knocked him fully unconscious. Despair flooded over White. Their last hope for victory was gone.

Greevil laughed with malevolent triumph as he slowly approached the now-unarmed trainers with his Crobat at his side. Ardos and Eldes closed in on either side with their own Pokémon, trapping the three friends against the steel barrier.

"Oh you fools," he lamented with sarcastic sadness. "Only now, at the end, do you finally understand. You cannot stop Cipher. You defeat a thousand of our troops, and we will send ten thousand back. We are infinite. We are legion. We cannot be stopped; we cannot be beaten; we cannot be killed. The world will be ours, and there is naught you can do to prevent it.

"But I am forgiving, merciful, resourceful, and kind," he went on. "And I will not kill you without offering you another option. Cipher needs strong trainers like you. You are free to join, if you so wish. We do not kill our own. We-"

"You know what I've got to say to that?" White interrupted as evenly as she could manage.

"Probably, but do tell us," Greevil chuckled.

"Fuck you!" White spat with ever ounce of animosity she held. "Fuck Cipher! Fuck what you do to Pokémon! Fuck your love of killing! Fuck your blatant lack of even an ounce of morality! Just, _fuck you!_"

She felt Cheren tap on her shoulder, but she shook him off, and bitterly marched on.

"We'll be a part of your twisted, murderous, corrupt, evil organization the day that Bianca kicks a Lilipup, that I wear a pink dress, that Cheren says math is for nerds, that N opens a meat shop, and that hell freezes over! In case that wasn't clear enough for you sick bastards, that's _never!_ We will _never_ be part of Cipher, and we're gonna fight it till the day we die, and if that day is today, well fine! But don't think you've won yet, 'cause all of Unova is determined to stop you now, and if you kill us you'll only encourage them! Cipher will rule the world the day we join, which in case you already forgot is _never!_ So fuck you!"

Greevil merely smiled politely throughout White's furious rant, eerily standing in the shadow of the starlight. When she finally stopped for breath, he laughed jovially again.

"You done?" he asked kindly. "Wonderful. Crobat, Poison Fang."

* * *

><p>Claire sat worriedly on Reinigen's back as Triton fiddled with some wires in the door. Her aura remained melded with her Pokémon's, and her worries were his. She vaguely wondered how exactly Februa had evolved into Reinigen, and didn't know whether she should be worried or not. She resolved to check with Cynthia once this was all over. Also, the sounds of battle behind the barrier had just stopped, and that more than anything troubled Claire. Did that mean her friends had won, or…?<p>

But there was one other concern that weighed on Claire's mind, related not to what lied beyond the steel gate, but what stood before it. Triton. Was he on her side? If so, what was she to make of all the cryptic hints that he was in league with Cipher? But she had been exactly where Cipher would have wanted her, and Triton had freed her. Surely no Cipher agent would have done that. Unless it was all part of a plot to complex for her to see. After all, he had rather heavily implied that Cipher brought him to Unova, and ordered him to go to Castelia City. But, as far as she could see, he was fighting directly against Cipher by aiding her. Perhaps he had been with them at the beginning of that day, but had since seen the error of his ways? But if he had really wanted to help her, why had he fought her?

"_You don't want to ask him," _Reinigen thought. It was not a question, but a statement, a very true statement.

"_I… I'm afraid of what I might learn…" _Claire thought back, just as honestly. She desperately did not want confirmation of her worries, but the uncertainty was almost just as bad.

"Almost done," Triton murmured, interrupting her thoughts. "It sounds like your friends need help, too."

It took Claire a very shameful moment to recall what he was talking about. She had not realized how much her worries about Triton were consuming her, that she would even forget about her friends. She suddenly knew that she simply had to ask him.

"T-Triton, wait," she whispered. "B-before you g-go, I n-need to know… are you with Cipher?"

For a full, agonizing second, Triton said nothing. Then, slowly and quietly, he answered.

"Claire, I may not see the world quite as black-and-white as you do, but I can still tell that Cipher is a darker shade of grey."

With that, he tore a wire from the panel he had opened, and the gate began to rattle.

"Now go help your friends."

Claire and Reinigen built upon each other's courage as the barrier clattered, bracing themselves for whatever might lie ahead. Then, all at once, it descended, and trainer and Pokémon stood side-by-side for the slightest fraction of a second, taking in the scene that met their eyes.

White and Cheren were standing proudly before the Shadow Lord, surrounded by the Admins, while standing between them and the unconscious N. Though clearly badly injured, N was still breathing slowly. The Admin on the left's face was badly scarred. Her three friends had no Pokémon, while a Gengar, Heracross, and Crobat accompanied the Cipher leaders, each enveloped in a dark aura. The Crobat was halfway between his master and White, with his sharp, venomous teeth glittered threateningly. All of this the trainer and Pokémon took in during the slightest fraction of a second.

And then Claire issued the command, though it did not need to leave her lips.

"_Reinigen, Confusion!"_

As the rest of the second passed, the Purification Pokémon blasted the three Shadow Pokémon completely across the room. Not a single one stirred after they crashed to the floor. The Shadow Lord's creepy smile finally faltered, and he seemed to not know what to think.

"I… I-I…" he stuttered, glancing nervously at each of his Admins, both of whom looked quite as uncertain as he was. Then, he wordlessly flipped backwards, landing a fairly safe distance away. Ardos and Eldes quickly hurried after him, tacitly asking for instructions.

"Get us out!" he shouted irately. "Do something!"

Ardos remained in a state of mild panic, but Eldes acted quickly. He seized a revive from his pocket and a Pokéball from Ardos, ignoring his objections, and smashed it into the Pokéball.

"D-don't move!" Claire ordered, reminding herself that she was in charge.

"Claire, dear Claire," Greevil simpered, limping slightly closer to her. "You wouldn't really have your, erm, Pokémon, attack us, would you? We are defenseless. Unarmed."

Claire realized this dilemma, and pondered with Reinigen for a second just how exactly they could force the Cipher leaders to stay without stooping to their levels and attacking them.

"_Is it okay to attack them? Because they're bad?"_ Claire asked.

"_I… don't know…" _Reinigen murmured. _"That would make us bad, wouldn't it?"_

"_But we wouldn't kill them. Just make them stay."_

"_But if they tried really hard to escape, how could we not do stuff that might kill them to make them stay?"_

"_But they're bad…"_

"…_And if they get away, more people could get killed…"_

"…_So letting them get away would make us bad…"_

"…_But hurting them would make us bad too…"_

"…_But which would make us less bad?"_

"…_Is actually hurting people worse than letting people get hurt?"_

"…_If we have to be bad, why don't we just do whatever feels right?"_

"…_But nothing feels right…"_

"…_I don't know what to do…"_

At some point in this moral debate, Claire lost track of which of the thoughts were hers, and which were Reinigen's. They both thought exactly the same way, and could thus reach no conclusions when either one was uncertain. They both slipped from reality, and drifted in what seemed to be a void of auras, thinking together, until White's voice pierced their thoughts.

"No! You bastards aren't getting away!"

When her mind returned to the present, Claire suddenly saw both White and Cheren charging at Kyurem, whom, although clearly barely conscious, the Cipher leaders had leapt onto, and were about to escape. Claire was paralyzed for a moment, utterly unsure of what action to take, or not take, and in that moment the Shadow wuji dragon kicked White and Cheren away and broke through the ceiling, and soared away.

"Claire, why didn't you _do something_?" White pleaded, tears of anger beginning to form in her eyes. Guilt inundated Claire as the full gravity of her inaction hit her. She had held the power to stop the Shadow Lord Greevil and Ardos and Eldes from escaping, and she had not used it. They were going to go on to kill countless more people and Pokémon, and it was all her fault. She had failed literally everyone in the world. Even White was angry at her for it. She was a failure, she effectively killed thousands of people, it was all her fault, all hers…

Darkness was filling her vision. She feebly struggled to stop it, but how could she even hope to? She was worthless, a worthless murdering evil failure, who couldn't keep darkness from her heart. How could she hope to keep it from her eyes?

* * *

><p>When light returned to her, she was lying on a less-than-comfortable bed. Her insides burned with sadness, but she could not remember why. She glanced around the room and saw several other beds lining the room with others in them. She reasoned that she had been taken to a Pokémon Center, and laid her head back down. But she no longer felt tired, and could not return to sleep.<p>

After lying vaguely for a few minutes, the door opened, spreading a small crack of light into the darkened room, and White entered silently. More specific memories immediately flooded Claire, and she recalled the source of her sadness. She had let the Cipher leaders escape…

"Claire? Are you awake?" White whispered as she approached the bedside. Claire momentarily considered pretending to be asleep, but she flared with shame again, and sat up to apologize to White.

"Wh-White," she sobbed. "I-I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry… I-I'm a s-stupid f-f-failure, I l-let th-them g-g-get away… I-"

"Claire!" White interrupted, looking pained. "You have absolutely no reason to be sorry! You saved my life! N's and Cheren's too! _I'm_ the one who should be sorry!"

"B-but…" Claire began, but White put a finger to her lips.

"Come on, let's talk outside. Don't wanna wake anyone up."

Claire nodded and followed White out of the room, up to a table in the Pokémon Center where Bianca, Cheren, Cynthia, and N were sitting. N immediately got up, stumbled slightly, and hurried over to Claire, embracing her tightly.

"Claire… I don't know what to say… You save my life again… Thank you, very much."

"B-but I let them get away…" Claire sniffled. N let her go and wiped her tears off of her cheeks.

"Claire, that barely makes any difference," he insisted. "Unova is safe now. We won. With or without Ardos, Eldes, and Greevil, the war still wouldn't have been over. But thanks to you, we inarguably won this battle."

"B… but…" she sniveled, turning to White. "I-I'm s-still really sorry… You should be mad…"

"Claire, I'm not mad at you!" White said in a rather loud whisper. "I was mad at Greevil and everyone for escaping, not at you! I just… Gah, I'm sorry, I just was mad in general, and you were the nearest target. I promise I wasn't mad at you. My anger was just… misdirected. You saved my frickin life, Claire! I couldn't be happier with you!"

Claire charged at White and threw her arms around her as tightly as she possibly could. She still burned with guilt, still knew she had failed, but she now knew that her friends forgave her, and that made all the difference in the world. White sniffed softly as she hugged Claire back.

"…Um, Claire?" Cheren suddenly spoke up. "I suppose… I should thank you, as well. You saved my life, too. I owe you. Perhaps, we could be, er, friends?"

He extended his hand tentatively, but Claire found that she was not scared of him anymore. He was a nice, brave trainer, like White and N. Cheren smiled with relief as she took his hand and shook it gently.

"You're a strong trainer, Claire," Cheren remarked. "And you're only going to grow stronger."

"Um, th-thank you," Claire said a bit awkwardly. "S-so… What are we gonna do next?"

"We were just about to discuss that," N answered. "But White wanted to see if you were awake yet first."

"Cynthia said she wanted to go to Sinnoh, since we know Cipher's there," White went on. "And I was thinking that you, me, and N would go to Kanto, since we're pretty sure that's the worst other than Hoenn and Orre, and Bianca and Cheren would stay here to-"

"Woah, wait, what?" Bianca shouted. "Are you _crazy_? Do you really think we're gonna let our best friend go off on her own with some _guy_ to fight some world-domination-y evil group and probably die?"

"B-but someone has to stay here and protect Unova…" White spluttered, but Cheren interrupted.

"That's what the Gym Leaders and Elite Four and Champion are for. I've heard that Marshal is going to serve as the Champion, while Drayden will be promoted to Elite Four, and Iris will serve as the sole Opelucid Gym Leader. But the point is, Unova will be perfectly safe without us. Everyone is ready in case Cipher returns. And we are not going to let you go off to fight them without us."

"But-"

"No buts, White Shirkuro!" Bianca proclaimed stubbornly. "We're your friends and we're sticking by you!"

"Until the end," Cheren stated plainly.

"Arceus damn, you guys rock," White half-cried, pulling Bianca and Cheren into a hug. Claire giggled happily at the affectionate scene, and at the comfort that four strong friends would accompany her to Kanto.

"S-so when are we l-leaving?" Claire asked.

"Now," White said with an almost mischievous smile.

"N-now?" Claire stammered.

"Now," White repeated. "You were out for around twelve hours. It's like, almost ten in the morning. Let's go now."

"I agree," N concurred. "The sooner we start, the better."

"That's fine with me," Cheren said, jumping up from his chair.

"Yay! Let's go!" Bianca cheered.

The six trainers all rose and hastily exited the Pokémon Center. As usual, N and White released their Tao dragons, while Cheren sent out his Unfezant. Cynthia simultaneously released her Braviary, and leapt onto his back.

"It was nice to really get to meet you all," Cynthia beamed, also rising. "I hope we will meet again soon."

"W-wait!" Claire asked, suddenly recalling her question for Cynthia. "I-I wanted to ask y-you something!"

The former Champion of Sinnoh looked down on Claire, smiling. "And what is that?"

"U-um, I-I was wondering… What makes Februa evolve?"

"Oh, yes! I heard about him evolving! Oh, you simply must allow me to examine him!" she yelled enthusiastically. "Er, sometime later, of course. But that's an interesting question. It doesn't even require a level-up. All it takes is maximum happiness."

Claire felt a warm rush of affection for her pearly snake, at last understanding exactly what had happened. Cynthia beamed back at Claire, before waving and setting off. Still burning with happiness, Claire climbed onto Zekrom's back after N, and set out for Kanto again.

_End of Part 1: Unova._


	14. Interlude: A New Outlook

Pokémon Darkness

Interlude: A New Outlook

Greevil had to continually remind himself that the man he was approaching was no more powerful, physically or influentially, than he himself was. There wasn't _really_ anything he could do to him, at least without the consent of the third Shadow Lord, Ein. There was no real _reason_ to be afraid.

And yet, the bald, dwarven master of Cipher could not seem to slow his drum-roll of a heartbeat. His breath still came in short, ragged gasps, and his normally well-aged knees felt very weak. Something about the man he was about to face, something in his relaxed manner and seductive tone, was fundamentally terrifying. And even Greevil, his equal, could not help but cower slightly before it.

Worse, and increasingly evident in recent encounters, was that the second Shadow Lord seemed to think himself more and more in charge by the second. He hid it well, but anger would fleetingly flash across his face if he were contradicted, and his "requests" and "suggestions" to the other two Cipher masters often sounded little different from orders given to lowly peons. Greevil all too frequently found himself needing to remind him that they were both Shadow Lords. The long-time Cipher leader was beginning to have second thoughts about accepting this strange man's help.

Thus, it was with no small degree of reluctance that Greevil opened the door to the Shadow Lords' Throne Room in Cipher's grand fortress on Mount Battle, Orre, where Ghetsis waited.

"Lord Greevil?" he called out from his throne on the right, a touch of curiosity and malice lingering in the air. "You are back much earlier than expected. Has Unova already been taken? Or have you merely captured the girl?"

"No, Lord Ghetsis," the shaking Shadow Lord began. "My news is not so fortunate. Thanks to swift action on your son's part-"

"He is not my son," Ghetsis stated, the plainness in his voice more menacing than any growl.

"…on the trainer N's part," Greevil amended, biting his lip. "Unova's most powerful trainers, including the entire Unovan League, were alerted to our presence within an hour of our arrival. Put simply, they formed an army and managed to repel our battalion."

"…I see," Ghetsis said after several moments' silence. Well, you'll just have to go back with a larger legion, then, won't you?"

"I don't think that's advisable," the panicking Cipher lord began, bracing himself for violent impact. "They'll be expecting that. By the time we've readied a legion and managed to transport them all to Unova, we'll be met with a well-trained, full-scale army, not just a hastily thrown-together militia. We could take it over, but it would result in a huge, costly conflict."

In truth, the small old man had more to say, but Ghetsis's piercing, unrelenting gaze finally quieted him. Sweat began pouring down his face as the cool, tall, and expressionless Shadow Lord continued to silently observe him. Just when Greevil thought his nerve was about to break, rather as though he could sense it, Ghetsis spoke.

"Is that what you think? What do you propose we do, then?"

Greevil inhaled deeply, forcibly calming, but before he could speak, the large double doors abruptly slid open and a disheveled blue-haired Admin came bustling in, his badly scarred face apologetic.

"Oh, Shadow Lord Ghetsis," Ardos panted, kneeling slightly before the thrones. "I have come to humbly apologize for my failures in Unova. Do not think less of Lord Greevil, for it was I who ruined our conquest. I ask with the utmost respect that you have mercy, and allow me a chance at redemption."

"Very well," Ghetsis said coolly, waving the Admin away. "I will reflect on this. You are dismissed, Ardos."

The wounded Admin bowed eagerly and quickly backed out. Ghetsis watched him with an unreadable face until the doors slid shut. He then turned slowly back towards the other Shadow Lord.

"You were saying, Lord Greevil?"

"I…" the tense master began. "I believe that it would be wiser to capture Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh. Their guards are not yet up, but, now that Cipher is known in Unova, they soon will be. Also, we already have a degree of influence there. If we take those first, then Unova will much easier to overcome. I am therefore currently opposed to reinvading Unova."

As he finished this, unyieldingly, Ghetsis again stared unfathomably. With a better handle on his fear, Greevil managed to meet his eyes unflinching.

"Wise, indeed," Ghetsis finally concurred. "I second your plan, and that is sufficient. Ein need not be consulted. Now, call Ardos back as you leave."

"Oh? Why, Lord Ghetsis?" Greevil asked. He had not particularly gotten the impression that Ghetsis cared much for the Admin.

"Because I am going to Kanto," Ghetsis answered. "And I would like him to accompany me."


	15. Chapter 13: The Tale Begins

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 13: The Tale Begins

The beginning of Claire's second travel across the vast sea that separated the west coast of Unova from the eastern edge of Kanto passed without words, on her part and N's. She gazed thoughtfully at the receding coastline, reflecting with no small amount of surprise that it had been approaching her just over a day ago. Several weeks seemed to have passed in those thirty-odd hours.

N seemed to have recently grown tense since. Claire couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about him had seemed off since they had departed from Unova. But she found the quiet difficult to disrupt, and ultimately did not question him. Instead, she turned her thoughts to her destination.

A slight smile crept across her face at the thought of returning to Kanto. Sure, Unova had been fascinating, to say the least, but it had also been rather big and frightening, and she couldn't help but feel excited at the idea of setting foot on her native soil again.

The silence was not broken until Unova had completely vanished, and it was in the least expected way. Reshiram pulled back, out of Claire's sight, and she was unable to find him until White abruptly landed on Zekrom's back, having leapt from above. Her immediate expression was one of incredulity.

"Wow, I can't _believe_ that work!" she cackled somewhat madly. "I was ready with Archeops, and, worst case scenario, Samurott, but wow! I'm a frickin ninja!"

"That was… very impressive," N murmured, shaken. "But you really could have gotten very hurt. You… probably shouldn't do that needlessly."

"Probably shouldn't, but I do anyway!" White proudly proclaimed. She made to say more, but N spoke first.

"And Zekrom will get tired much faster if he has to carry three of us, and there's much higher risk of one of us falling with the lack of space. We'll have to stop for rest about halfway across anyway, so it's probably best you go back to Resh-"

"Woah, hold on! I came over here for a reason!" White interrupted. "I'm tired of only having half an idea about what you guys did in Kanto! If I'm gonna be _going_ there, I want a full explanation!"

"Okay, okay, White, we'll tell you everything, but right now isn't the best time. Can we wait until we stop? Cheren and Bianca will want to hear it, too, I am sure, and Zekrom won't make it far enough supporting all three of us!"

"Oh," was White's simple response, as she turned to face Zekrom's side. "I didn't think about that. Sorry."

"White-" N called out, but White had already pushed herself away from the yin dragon, caught herself midair with Archeops, and glided back over to her yang dragon. N was left looking somewhat miserable.

It then hit Claire what exactly was bothering N. In spite of everything he knew, he couldn't help worrying about White going to Kanto. Some small part of him, in spite of his confidence in White, wanted her to stay in Unova, and it was causing a painful conflict.

"She's plenty strong enough," Claire whispered, and the most fleeting look of surprise passed over N's face before he smiled and sighed.

"You're right, of course," he muttered. "Thank you…"

N beamed at Claire before turning back to gaze at the vast expanse of water. Claire made to withdraw Reinigen, but realized, with a pang of slightest regret, that he was now likely too big to fit very comfortably on the back of a midair dragon. In his place, she sent out her Shelmet, whom she held securely against her chest.

"You've never been outside of Unova, have you?" she asked softly. Shelmet shook slightly, indicating a "no".

"You'll like Kanto," Claire assured her. "It's so, perfect… without Cipher, that is…"

Shelmet shook again, but this time she conveyed nervousness with the height. With a start followed by a sigh, Claire returned Shelmet to the safety of her Pokéball. She bit her lip, regretting the lack of anything to do.

She wished that she was tired, but the twelve hours of sleep she had just gotten kept her mind running actively. Thanks to her exhaustion, boredom had not been an issue on the flight to Unova, but this time she had little to do but stare at the water. Thus, the next several hours passed very monotonously, marked only by the gradual rising and setting of the sun.

N was so continually quiet that Claire didn't notice that he had fallen asleep until he nearly slipped from Zekrom's back and she had to seize his arm. N, his incredible sleep deprivation having finally caught up with him, barely woke up, and promptly slid back into unconsciousness when he was safely back in place.

Claire's thoughts generally drifted into one of three areas: wondering if that status of Kanto had changed since Cipher's invasion of Unova, pondering what Triton could possibly be up to, or simmering in the guilt of her inaction that had permitted the escape of the Cipher leaders. The second of these was the least unpleasant, and was generally what she would try to stick with.

"_I may not see the world quite as black-and-white as you do, but I can still tell that Cipher is a darker shade of grey."_

These words in particular she turned over and over in her mind. They confirmed that Triton was not, in fact, in league with Cipher. Or did they? They mostly just proved that he didn't particularly _like_ them, but could he still be working with them, perhaps with some ulterior motive? If Claire were honest with herself, that seemed the mostly likely case, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to believe it or not.

But she also wondered: did she see the world as "black-and-white"? Again, if she were honest, she really did. Cipher was pure evil, and her friends N and White were selfless warriors against it. But wasn't it really as simple as that? Cipher brutally tortured Pokémon, and killed people, and conquered regions! How could they possibly be anything but pure evil? And, if they were, then anyone who fought against them had to be good! Maybe she did see the world in black-and-white, but the simple fact was that it was. Wasn't it?

Finally, as their destination became tinted with orange, N awoke. He murmured something in a whisper Claire could not quite make out, but she could understand that he was suggesting they begin searching for an island on which to stop.

On Claire's side, nothing broke the uniformity of the water, and she quickly lost focus again. She had begun vaguely reflecting on possible origins of Februa's egg when she suddenly felt Zekrom turn steeply downward. She glanced down and saw that he was in pursuit of Reshiram, who had located a rather small speck of land.

When they touched down, the black Tao dragon let out a huge sigh. Just as Claire slid from his back, N returned him to his Pokéball for much-needed rest. Indeed, Zekrom had likely worked the hardest out of all of them in the past few days. With each of the Pokémon recalled, the five trainers gathered on the sandy beach. Now they too could sleep…

"Oh, um, N?" Claire asked, tugging on N's arm, seized with a sudden worry. "Do we have any supplies now? Since we lost ours…"

"Oh, we're frickin _set_, Claire," White answered. "My mom wouldn't let us leave without making sure we had literally _everything_. She actually wanted to see you, but, well, you were asleep, and she'd left to help with all the injuries by the time you were up."

"Oh… I'm sorry," Claire sincerely regretted. "I didn't-"

"Sorry nothing, you were asleep after a ridiculously long day. You need to apologize less, Claire," White admonished quasi-jokingly.

"Oh, s-sor… I mean, I'll try," she tentatively responded.

"That's better!" White lauded. "Now! I'm gonna set up everything for the night, but while I do, I want the whole story! One of you had better get telling!"

Claire glanced from White to N, and found that N was looking rather hazy again. She made a few mental estimates, and realized that N had actually only gotten twelve hours of sleep in the past four days. Biting her lip, she came to a quick-yet-difficult decision.

"Okay…" she whispered. "I'll explain it…"

The three fully-conscious pairs of eyes flicked to her, each looking taken aback. Claire herself was far from unsurprised. While she felt much more comfortable around each of them since she had around a day and a half ago, she had not at all expected to volunteer to recount her entire tale to them. And yet, here she was.

"Yeah, I'll do it," she mumbled, more to herself than the others. "N's too tired, so I'll just do it."

"She's right, I mean look at him, he's about to fall over, for goodness sake!" Bianca proclaimed. "Let's everyone build up the tent so he can sleep!"

"Oh, I don't need a tent," N groggily muttered. "I've done without one long enough. A sleeping bag will suffice."

"Oh, but we don't want you to have to sleep with just that!" Bianca insisted. "Really, it's no problem, we can get the tent up, I mean-"

"No, please, I'd honestly rather just have a sleeping bag," N restated. "To be honest, I also do not particularly want to wait for the tent. I would rather just sleep now."

"B-but," Bianca began, but White withdrew a sleeping bag and chucked it at N.

"Doesn't matter that much, B," White interrupted. "Here you go. Don't think we're getting out of the story, though! Claire's still wide awake."

"I wasn't trying to hide the story from you, White…" N murmured, looking a bit hurt as he lied down.

"Sure, sure," White dismissed. "Go to sleep now. You seriously look like a corpse possessed by a Banette."

But N was already thoroughly unconscious. Claire largely did not know what to make of this exchange, and merely watched quietly.

"All right, Claire, spill it!" White ordered, in what Claire supposed was a sort of half-joke. "What's the whole deal, anyway? Tell us everything!"

Claire closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, as she prepared to immerse herself completely in her past. She didn't especially want to relive it, but she knew that her friends must not be kept in the dark. So she opened her eyes, and mouth, and soul, and began.

* * *

><p><em>Okay… so, you want… my story? How I found Februa and N? Okay… I guess now is the best time to tell you…<em>

_Well, I found him first in the Viridian Forest. Er, Februa, that is. But he was just an egg then. See, I used to go to the Forest all the time, before… everything happened. It's so nice; the Pokémon just all rustle about the trees. There are actually quite a few different species in there, but most of them hide when people enter... but I could usually find them. I wonder if they're all okay…_

_But, um, anyway, like I said, I used to always go to the Forest, since it's just a little ways north of my home. On the day I found him, I kept feeling like someone was watching me, but I didn't see anyone at all in the Forest. I've always wondered if someone wanted me specifically to find him, but… I really don't know._

_So, I was just walking through the woods, alone except for Deino, who the Professor let me have years and years ago, so I'd be safe when I went exploring. We both kept trying to find whoever seemed to be lurking nearby, but then I kicked a box that was hidden in the tall grass. Inside was a shiny white egg, with a few pink lines. It looked way different from normal Pokémon eggs, so I thought that the Professor would be interested in it. Since it seemed to have been abandoned, I picked it up and took it back to Pallet Town._

_The Professor immediately took the egg and started running all sorts of tests on it. I didn't really understand any of it… but he promised me that the egg would be okay. For almost a whole day, he was completely devoted to examining the egg. When he finally concluded that it was an undiscovered species, he offered to let me take care of it until it hatched. I was happy to._

_I've always loved to take care of Pokémon. My dream was always to go to medical school and work at a Pokémon Center. I learned from my dad about what types of potions work best for which types of injuries, and my mom taught me how to approach hurt Pokémon without scaring them and keep them calm. No one had told me much about taking care of an egg before, but it turned out to be pretty simple. After a little less than a week, it finally hatched._

_I loved Februa the first time I saw him. It had taken Zwei, I mean, Dei, a long time and a lot of shared adventures to warm up to me. But Feb and me just… connected, the very first time our eyes met. There was just this unexplainable… empathy between us, even more than what had built between me and Dei over years._

_Oh, no, I didn't mean to say that I love Zwei less. No, no, not at all. It's just… Reinigen and me… we have this link… I don't really know how to describe it… it's almost like where two halves of the same person._

_Um… anyway… I took him back to the Professor, who ran a bunch more tests. He was very careful though, and he let me stay with Februa the whole time. Once he was done with __**those**__ tests, he went to look at a bunch of old books. He eventually decided that he thought Februa might be, well, a Februa. He wasn't very sure about it, since the book he found was kinda vague… but Februa liked the name, so we stuck with it._

_A happy week passed after that. Me and Deino and Februa traveled all around, seeing lots of cool Pokémon and having lots of fun adventures. We even went as far as Mount Moon, and we once managed to sneak off to the ruins of Cinnabar Island. It was a kinda dangerous sometimes, but it was a fun dangerous, not like… Cipher…_

_And then the week ended, when the Professor got a call from a "legends expert" who was visiting Lavender Town for some ghost experiment, or something. I guess that was probably Cynthia… but I didn't know that then._

_But, anyway, the Professor told her about Februa, and she asked if Februa could be taken to Lavender Town for her to see. I volunteered to take Februa there, since… well… I thought it would just be another fun adventure…_

_My mom wasn't sure about letting me go so far on my own, but my dad insisted that I was old enough to go, and that my Pokémon would be there to protect me. The Professor also encouraged her that plenty of younger kids had gone on journeys with Pokémon before. Between the two of them, and me, too, 'cause I really wanted to go, she eventually agreed._

_So the three of us set out early the next day. I think that was pretty close to three months ago, today. We were all really excited; we'd never felt so independent before…_

_Everything went fine that day, except that we all felt like someone was watching us in Viridian Forest again. This time, I'm pretty sure that they were, given what happened later…_

_We reached Pewter City, on the other side of the Forest, around mid-evening. Since the next city was on the other side of Mount Moon, we decided that it would be better to stay in the Pokémon Center there for the night. I wonder what would've happened if we hadn't…_

_Just for fun, we took the Pewter Gym challenge. Since we didn't have any badges yet, we fought the leader's most basic team, but we still lost. Deino held up pretty well with Bite against the Geodude, but the Onix was way too strong. And Februa only knew Tackle back then, so… he didn't really stand much of a chance. It was good practice, though._

_After that, there wasn't a lot to do in Pewter. We did look at the museum, but that was just about it. Mostly because of boredom, we went to sleep kinda early. And, because of that, we were ready to leave at sunrise. But if Pewter had just been a little more interesting, and we had stayed up just a little later… how differently would everything have happened?_

_So, a little before midday, we reached the base of Mount Moon. We'd been there once before, but not very far in, so we were shaking with excitement, and nervousness. We were officially crossing into new land._

_The caves were kinda dark, but we managed to get through with Februa's glow. And it was by that light that, for the first time, I saw the dark aura of a Shadow Pokémon._

_Two people dressed in strange black-and-purple armor were standing there, using their shadowy Pokémon to force a bunch of Geodudes and other Rock and Ground types to dig for fossils and Moon Stones. They were… very... scary… and I kinda froze up for a little... me and Februa... but they were hurting wild Pokémon, so we ended up stepping in to stop them._

_They sent their Shadow Glalie and Walrein on us. Deino and Februa fought bravely, but… they were taken out easily by Ice… They probably wouldn't have bothered with me past that, if I hadn't asked what was wrong with their Pokémon's glow._

_They glanced at each other in surprise for a moment, before setting their Pokémon on me, but then someone else came out of the shadows and fought them off with a Camerupt. They panicked and fled, even leaving their unconscious Glalie._

"_Are you okay?" the stranger asked, as his Camerupt lit a fire that filled the cavern with light._

_That was the first time I ever saw N. My first impression was that he looked very strange, more like a grown-up sized kid than an actual grown-up. But I could also immediately tell that he was just a nice person. He was just, at some basic level, not scary._

"_I-I'm f-fine now," I told him. "B-but my P-Pokémon are b-both really hurt."_

_Before I could say anything else, he pulled two spiky yellow things out of his bag and thrust them at me._

"_Use these," he said. "They'll heal a lot of their injuries and wake them back up, so you can administer potions."_

_I graciously thanked him as I healed Dei and Feb. Once I was sure that they were both okay, I turned to ask the stranger some questions, who was tending to the Glalie's wounds._

"_Wh-what was w-wrong with those Pokémon? Like that Glalie… why is her glow so… dark?"_

_He turned to me, looking both sad and happy at the same time, and kind of surprised too._

"_You can see the auras of Pokémon?" he asked, solemn. I told him that I could, that I had always been able to, like my mother, but that the auras weren't usually so noticeable. He sighed, and was quiet for a long time._

_Around then, one of the Geodudes rolled over to me. He threw his arms around my ankles, dragging me to the ground. But I could tell that he was just trying to thank me for standing up for him and the others. I welcomed him with a pat on the head, expecting him to roll away, but he merely stayed by my side._

"_That Geodude is rather fond of you," the stranger chuckled. "Perhaps you would like to let him join your team?"_

_I said that I would love to, but that I didn't have any spare Pokéballs. The stranger wordlessly tossed me one, and I held it in front of the Geodude. He nodded eagerly, and so, with a smile, I clicked it on his forehead, and our team grew to four._

"_So… wh-who are you?" I asked, when the stranger made no move to speak again. He sighed, not quite unhappily, before answering._

"_That… isn't the easiest question to answer. My name, is N. I am a Pokémon trainer, and an advocate of Pokémon rights. And I have spent the last three months or so battling the secret organization to which those two trainers belong."_

"_Wh-what is that?" I asked, a bit frightened._

"_The organization is known as Cipher. They have taken over the regions of Orre and Hoenn, and seem close to ready to take Johto and Kanto. And they use those kinds of Pokémon to do it: innocent Pokémon who have forcibly undergone a horribly painful procedure to render them powerful, emotionless killing machines known as Shadow Pokémon."_

"_W-well we h-have to stop them!" I proclaimed, horrified at these thoughts. N nodded sadly and silently before continuing._

"_The problem is, most people don't know about them. No one is able to communicate to Orre and Hoenn, and anyone who tries to go there isn't going to leave. In Johto and Kanto, they are hidden, and almost no one knows they exist._

"_Also complicating things is that Shadow Pokémon are indistinguishable from regular Pokémon, aside from the distinction in auras, which means that you are likely one of the few people on this earth who can immediately identify them. And, sadly, that puts you at great danger."_

"_D-danger? How?"_

"_Because you can pose a huge threat to their secrecy, and those two agents are aware of that, and will have already reported to their superiors. In fact," he sighed. "They are most likely on the way here now."_

_My eyes widened, and my hand fell to Februa and Deino's Pokéballs. I wondered if there was any way to get rid of my power to see auras, just so they wouldn't come after me. I didn't want them to get me…_

_But then, I realized something. Something really important. I didn't want to make them go after my mom, which meant that I was the only person who could help these poor hurt Pokémon. And it was like my daddy said: when you get strong, you have a responsibility to use it for good, since you can do things other people can't. I wasn't strong, but I could still do things that other people couldn't, so I had a responsibility to use my gift for good. I had to save all the Pokémon who the bad Cipher people hurt._

"_I-I wanna h-help you stop them," I told N. I was determined._

"_Thank you," N whispered, and he sounded like he really meant it. "I was hoping you would."_

_A second passed, and I could tell that, in it, we became friends forever. We were both gonna stop the bad guys. We were gonna save everyone._

"_Wh-what should we d-do first?" I asked him._

"_First," N said, slowly and a little sadly. "You can tell me when the Cipher agents that are almost here send out Shadow Pokémon."_


	16. Chapter 14: The Primary Target

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 14: The Primary Target

_It felt… almost like my heart stopped… when the four Cipher agents came out of the shadows and glared down at us… I wanted to run away, to hide somewhere, to make it so they couldn't get me…_

_But I couldn't do that. N was counting on me to help him. I needed to use my gift for good. It was my responsibility. Standing up, and building every ounce of courage I had, I dropped my hand to Deino's Pokéball, but N softly pushed me behind him._

"_You cannot fight them," he said sadly, like he didn't want to, but had to. "I am sorry, but you are horribly outmatched right now. Just do that one favor I asked for now."_

"_O-okay…" I whispered, as one of the dark-armored Cipher agents stepped forward._

"_What do you know, guys?" he shouted, laughing in a way that made me shiver like I fell into ice water. "It was that N Harmonia after all. Vetters wasn't just nuts."_

_The others laughed, too, in the same way, like they were already thinking about what they were gonna do to us…_

"_Well, N, looks like you're in luck today," he chuckled in that icy way. "That girl there is suspected of threatening our entire organization. We can't be taking a risk like letting her wander around, see. Just step on out of the way, and we won't do nothing to you this time. Oh, and we'll be needing that Glalie too. Sound good?"_

"_No, it does not," N told them, in a way that made the cold vanish like a fire. It was… strong, reassuring, hope-inspiring. "I am not about to let you kidnap this girl or re-imprison this Pokémon. If you want her, you will have to defeat me first."_

"_Hmph, fine, give yourself up too, then," the first one grumbled. "You three, take him! Thunder Wave the girl, Magneton! We want her alive!"_

_The other three Cipher agents each sent out Pokémon and yelled orders at the same time, but I… couldn't hear them. I flinched back, expecting a crippling electrical jolt, but n-nothing happened. Instead, there was a smashing sound, a flash of green light, and a slicing noise, and, when I looked back a second later, a Breloom was standing over the Magneton, two Golbats, and an Onix. I… only briefly saw their auras before they faded when the Pokémon passed out, but I saw enough to know that they weren't Sh-Shadow Pokémon._

"_Like to play tough, huh? Well we can play tough!" the front one shouted as he sent out a Haunter who, I was scared to see, was surrounded by a dark glow. The others followed with two Arcanines and a Skarmory, whose auras also clung to them like black garbage bags in the wind._

"_N, N, those are Shadow Pokémon," I whispered to him, tugging frantically on his arm. I didn't think the Cipher agents would hear me… but they… they gasped and pointed at me before giving orders._

"_Woah! What do ya know, guys, she __**can**__ see them! We can't let her get away!"_

_I was… scared to know that they were so determined to get me… and I felt… stupid… for making my power so obvious… but I guess it didn't matter much anyway…_

_So… Before the Shadow Pokémon could attack, N released a Carracosta and sent him at the Arcanines. But the… Shadow Skarmory smashed him with Steel Wing before he could… Then she flew up and swooped for another, but he got out of the way and attacked the Arcanines just before they could get Breloom. She jumped up to attack the Skarmory, but the Haunter knocked her out of the air with Psychic._

_You know… It was kind of strange how… easy the fight was to follow. I'd never seen a fight with more than two Pokémon before, and, with so much stuff happening all at once, it seemed like it should have been overwhelming. But… it just wasn't. Everything that happened just made sense._

_Oh, but anyway… Right there, I saw that N was directing his Carracosta and Camerupt against the Arcanines and the Skarmory, but that he had momentarily glanced away from his Breloom. Haunter had thrown her to the ground with Psychic, and was floating above her, about to finish her off…_

_So then, without any thinking, my impulse to protect Pokémon kicked in, and, stupidly, I shouted "no!" and sent Februa at the Haunter. The second after I did, I realized how stupid I had been; Haunter was Ghost type, and Februa was Psychic. Worse, Februa only even knew Tackle, and couldn't do anything. Deino, at least, could have stood something of a chance with Bite. Why had I been such an idiot and chosen Februa?_

"_D-do something, Februa!" I yelled frantically, basically panicking by then. But then, a second before it happened, we both realized that he could do something, something really important. We didn't know what, yet, but… we soon found out._

_Februa let out his soft cry, and his soft pink glow sorta… stretched over the Haunter. The Haunter's aura suddenly went really really dark, way darker than it was already. It looked sorta like what I imagine empty space looks like. Once that happened, the Haunter stopped attacking Breloom, but began… flailing violently… and shrieking horribly. It was… a really sad sound… Both my instinct and Februa's was to stop, but… somehow, we knew we couldn't. But it broke my heart… and his…_

_It distracted, well, everyone, from the fight. It just sorta stopped, and all the people and Pokémon stared at Haunter as he wailed and writhed… We, me and Feb, I mean… we realized that the others wouldn't see anything but that. They wouldn't know anything about the auras. It would've just looked like Februa was… was torturing Haunter… with some invisible power…_

_I didn't really know what was happening, either. Neither did Februa. We just had this sense of… of purpose, of responsibility… We knew we had to keep going. It wasn't until the glowing, which had gotten really… intense, finally stopped all of the sudden, and Haunter collapsed onto the cave floor, that I realized what had happened. The black aura around Haunter was gone. It had become a natural faded red. He wasn't a Shadow Pokémon anymore._

"_Wh… What the hell did you do, girl?" a different one yelled. He sounded really scared, and I almost felt bad for him. But then I reminded myself that he was a bad Cipher person. I couldn't feel bad for them._

"_She's dangerous! We've got to take her!" the main one shouted, but, by the time they turned back to their own Pokémon, N had already knocked them out. They really panicked after that, and all threw out two more Pokémon. They couldn't keep track, though, and their orders got all garbled._

_The only ones who seemed to understand what to do were the two Shadow Muks… because they both swarmed over me and crushed me between them. Their fumes stung my eyes and throat really bad, and they hurt from all sides. I couldn't see or feel or hear or smell anything but them… it was… really scary…_

_After… I don't know how long… the ground roared and shook, and the Muks melted off of me. It probably wasn't very long, but… it felt like I was trapped in the globs of dark auras forever…_

_Um… anyway… I'm pretty sure it was N's Camerupt. Who used the Earth Power, that is. It got the Muks off of me, but the cave… wasn't really meant for tremors like that… and it started collapsing really quickly._

"_I'm getting out of here!" one of the other Cipher guys yelled, as he recalled his Pokémon and fled with two of the others. The main guy stood there for a little, looking flustered, before running away too. I quickly found Februa, held him tight to my chest, and grabbed N's hand so we wouldn't get separated as we tried to get out._

_Lots of dirt streamed down onto my head, and a good number of small rocks beat down on me. N seemed to know where he was going, so I just stayed close to him. It was kinda scary, but it really wasn't that bad after those… Muks…_

_I-I really don't know much of what happened next. I couldn't really keep track of all the turns N made. All I know is that too big a rock hit me at some point, and my head burst with pain, and my vision faded to darkness…_

_When I woke up, I could still feel Februa resting against my chest. By the sounds and smell, we were still in the caves of Mount Moon, but the ceiling seemed to be stable. I didn't open my eyes for a while… I just laid still and held Februa._

_A-after a little while, I realized that N was whispering to someone and opened my eyes. That was the first time I really took note of his aura: it was a faint green, really vibrant once you actually paid attention to it, but really easy to miss if you don't. It surrounded him like fire, flickering up at the top, burning like his passion to protect Pokémon. It was… a powerful aura…_

_Um… Anyway… I couldn't see who he was talking to, since he was sitting across the small fire with his back to me, so I stretched out and stood up, carrying Februa. N must've heard me yawn, because he turned around right then, and I saw that he had the Shadow Glalie in his lap. She just sorta sat there, totally still, basically ignoring him. It was… a little unsettling, actually._

"_Oh, Claire, I'm glad you're okay," N said, in the plain way where you can just tell he means it. "I was just trying to talk with this Glalie. But she's being rather stubborn."_

"_I-I see," I stuttered, distracted by the Glalie's cold stare. "Wh-why isn't she attacking you? A-aren't Sh-Shadow Pokémon mean?"_

"_Shadow Pokémon generally just won't do anything but follow their master's orders mechanically. So, if they are separated and the master hasn't given any ongoing commands, then they will merely sit still. They won't even eat, and I've seen some Shadow Pokémon st… starve to death… when… when they…"_

_He broke down into quiet sobs there. I felt really sad, too, for the Pokémon and for N, so I set Februa down and walked over to give N a hug. He just sat there, too, kind of like the Glalie… except, not at all like her, because he was crying softly._

"_I-it was my fault," he whispered after a little while. "My fault for taking them from their masters. E-even after the first one… even after I knew they were just going to starve… I still did it, because I kept thinking that I could connect with them… that I could open the doors to their hearts… that I could s-save them… but I just ended up killing them…"_

_I-I really wanted to help… to make him feel better… somehow… but I had no idea how. So I just kept hugging him._

"_But I just can't see… I just can't stand…" he went on, really quietly, like he was talking more to himself. "H-how could those evil trainers just leave them, when they know they're just going to die? Don't they mean anything to them?"_

_Februa drifted over to us then, and cried softly. N looked down at me and him, and smiled a little._

"_Thank you… thank you both…" he muttered, in that heartfelt way. "It's just… the horrible injustice of it all… I really can't stand it."_

"_I know," I whispered back, just letting the words come out. "But that's okay, 'cause we're gonna stop them. I just know it."_

"_Thank you," he said again, his eyes clearing up. "You're right, of course. We will. We must."_

_We were all quiet for a few seconds, but then he turned to Februa and started talking._

"_Hello. We haven't really met yet. My name is N. What is your name?"_

_I almost told him myself, but then Februa sorta, like, hummed, I guess… you know? B-but, anyway, I could tell he was trying to answer N himself, but I knew most people can't tell what he's saying. So, I was about to translate for N, but then N just replied._

"_Februa? That is an interesting name. In all of my travels, I have never seen a member of your species. Are you certain that is it?"_

_Februa made some more humming noises, while I just stared at N in surprise. I-I never thought someone could communicate to Februa so quickly. B-but, since I made friends with N really soon too, I figured that it wasn't that unusual._

"_You __**aren't**__ sure?" N asked, frowning slightly. "That's just what everyone is calling you? Where did they find you? Do you know any others of your kind?"_

_I was starting to get confused there, since I didn't know how Februa could have conveyed the answers to such detailed questions. But Februa just hummed more, still trying to answer._

"_Claire found you as an egg in a forest? And you don't know any more than that? That's… very interesting. And you have never seen or heard of any others… Strange."_

_I-I felt a little twitch in my heart then, since I realized that N could communicate with Februa even better than I could. I hadn't been able to understand what he was saying other than that he was answering N's questions, but N had heard every little detail he said. I-it kinda hurt… since i-it made it s-seem like m-my connection t-to Februa wasn't s-special…_

"_Um… N?" I spoke up tentatively. "H-how c-can you understand F-Februa so good?"_

"_Oh! Yes, I am sorry, I forgot to explain," he suddenly shouted. "You see, unlike most trainers, who communicate with their Pokémon solely by an empathetic link, I can actually understand the language of Pokémon. I have that bond with my own Pokémon, but I can speak to any just like you can to humans."_

"_Oh! That's cool!" I gasped, much less sad and much more interested. "H-how can you do that? Is it like the same for all types of Pokémon?"_

"_Well, yes and no," he explained. "You just have to listen for the relative pitches and inflictions. Each species has their own basic cry, but the language is essentially the same. It's more like variants of dialect and accent from species to species, I guess you could say. And I lived mostly among Pokémon when I was young, so I just picked the language up. I can't really teach it, though; I've tried, but found I can't explain the details well enough."_

"_Oh," I murmured, a little disappointed, because I was already hoping that he could teach me. "B-but that's really cool!"_

"_It's… not much, really," he muttered, blushing slightly. I felt like we got a little bit closer, since he was uncomfortable with praise, just like me. "I, erm, was just trying to talk to this Glalie. I was hoping that I could get her to open up a bit. But she is-"_

"_Oh wait!" I suddenly yelled, remembering the Haunter. "I-I think Februa can heal her! L-like, make her not a Sh-Shadow Pokémon!"_

"…_what?" he whispered, really quietly, almost sounding scared to believe it. "…what… do you mean?"_

"_R-remember the H-Haunter? How Februa attacked him and m-made him sh-shriek? Everyone stopped fighting?"_

_N nodded wordlessly, his eyes wide and out-of-focus, and mouth slightly open. He looked like he didn't know what to think._

"_S-see, the attack was actually with their auras. Februa's sorta… swarmed over Haunter's, and kinda… tore at it, I guess. It made the Haunter's glow way darker at first, but then it sorta just… dissolved it. And then, when it was all the way gone, Februa's went away from the Haunter, too, and he just had a regular-looking aura. S-so, I think he can make them not Sh-Shadow Pokémon anymore!"_

_N's faced slowly shifted across a lot of expressions the whole time I said all that, from shock to joy to fear and back to shock again and back to fear again. Finally, he just settled on stunned disbelief for a while after I finished. After thinking for a while, he whispered again._

"_Try it on Glalie…"_

_I nodded, having planned that. I nervously picked the Glalie up, but she didn't really seem to care much. A bit reluctantly, 'cause I knew it was gonna hurt her really bad, I nodded to Februa to begin. He cried softly again, holding the note as his aura stretched out like before. Just before the glow reached Glalie, I whispered sadly to her._

"_I'm so sorry…"_

_It was… pretty much the same as with the Haunter… except it was way worse, because I could feel her struggling and trying to get away… and her cries were right in my ears… I felt tears start to trickle down my cheeks… but I just held her, like I knew I had to, and, not nearly soon enough, it was over._

_We were all silent for a while after. No one knew what to say. N finally broke it, in his quietest whisper ever._

"_Is she… alive?"_

"_Yes," I answered immediately, never doubting it for an instant. Her aura, now a pale green, still fluttered around her._

"_And she is no longer a Shadow Pokémon?"_

"_No."_

_N sighed really deeply there, and a lot of mixed up emotions lingered with that sigh._

"_That is… unbelievably good… and unbelievably terrible…"_

"_Wh-what? Why? Wh-what do you m-mean?"_

"_It is unbelievably good," he sighed again. "Because we now have a simple way of restoring the hearts and emotions of Shadow Pokémon. I… sincerely regret… as I am sure you do… that it causes such pain… but… but… but they will be so much better, so much happier, so much freer afterwards… so we must."_

"_I… I get all of that…" I stuttered, feeling a shooting pain in my chest. "B-but… wh-why is it terrible?"_

"_Well… Aside from the horrible pain of the aura purification…" he began slowly. "You and Februa together are by far the greatest danger to Cipher that exists, and I can clearly see that the bond between you is utterly unbreakable. Worse, with that Haunter you purified, they will already know just how dangerous you are. Add that you are determined to stop Cipher, and you are effectively signing yourself up as their greatest enemy. You are now their primary target. They will stop at nothing to capture you."_

"_Um, N…" I began, also slowly. "I… kinda already knew all of that. I'm not trying to say I'm not scared, but… well, I'm not gonna let them scare me into running away and hiding and just doing nothing. I'm gonna help you stop them. We really are gonna save everyone. I mean it."_

_N was quiet for a while after that. I was starting to see that he did that a lot. After he thought his words through, he spoke with a shaky voice._

"_Claire, you are a much braver person than I am. I am very glad to have your help."_

_I felt my face burning when he said that, and I stared down at Februa, absentmindedly stroking his head. Another brief silence occurred, this time broken by my growling stomach._

"_You are hungry?" N asked, reaching into his bag. "I have a moderate supply of food. However, I think it would be a good idea to try to ration it, just a little, and stay in this cave as long as possible."_

"_St-stay here? Why?"_

"_Because I have little doubt that many Cipher agents are already placed at every exit, waiting for us to leave. The longer we stay in here, the more likely they are to assume that we managed to slip out and relax their guard, so we may actually do so."_

"_Oh… that makes sense…" I murmured as I took an apple and a piece of bread from N. I didn't especially want to stay in the cave for a long period of time, but I wanted to leave and get captured by Cipher even less. So I agreed and ate._

_N says that we stayed in the caverns for about a week, based on our food supply, but to me it felt like several. I passed the time training Deino and Februa and Geodude. Especially Geodude, since he was new on the team, and I wanted to get to know him._

_Me and N also got to know each other better, and we shared our life stories with each other. I told N about my parents, and about the Professor, and about adventures I went on with Deino from when I was little. I told him about the one time I had been to Orre, to see my great-grandpa in Agate Village with my parents when he was very sick. I had seen him a few times when he came to visit Pallet Town, but I was very young and didn't remember him very well, except that he let me play with his Pikachu. He died while we were in Agate. Mommy and Daddy cried a lot. Daddy said that he was the greatest trainer he ever knew. After that, we went home, and I never left Kanto after that until… well, you know…_

_N also told me about his past. Well, some of it. There were parts he couldn't talk about, but I understood and didn't try to make him. He told me all about how he used to be the King of Team Plasma, trying to liberate Pokémon from trainers, because his mean dad had made him think that all trainers were mean to their Pokémon. Then he talked about how he met you three, mostly White, and how he had got Zekrom, and how he had fought you and lost, and realized that he was wrong, and left to find his purpose._

_We were usually pretty safe in the cave, since we both could communicate with wild Pokémon fairly well. Twice some Cipher trainers showed up, but we managed to hide from them, since we got to know the layout of the caverns pretty well. We both wanted to fight them and take their Shadow Pokémon, but we knew that we had to appear to have vanished._

_Oh, and the Glalie just sorta hanged around us. She didn't want to join our team, but she did like us and felt grateful to us, so she stayed near. She was happy in the caves, since they were cold. I guess she's probably still there._

_So, then, after what N thinks was about a week, we decided it was time to try to escape. We knew there were still probably some Cipher agents, so we were sure to be careful. We picked the most obscure exit we knew, far to the east, and crept out slowly. It was the middle of the night, fortunately, since we had gotten rather used to having just a small fire for light. We looked around very carefully, and, finding no Cipher agents, slowly walked away._

_Our plan was to slip into Cerulean City quickly, replenish our food supply, and get away quickly to sneak around Kanto and find out where Cipher's regional headquarters was. We managed to make it down the kinda dangerous path towards the nearest route, Route 4. Around then, though, I suddenly felt a potent electrical shock, and I fell to the ground, paralyzed. N grabbed me and ran as fast as possible, faster than the Cipher agent's Pokémon, but I could easily hear his cold voice, calling out to his fellow peons._

"_The primary target has fled north of Route 4. Repeat, the primary target has fled north of Route 4."_

* * *

><p>"Um, Claire?" Bianca suddenly interrupted. "I hate to cut off your story, but, well, Cheren and White are kinda asleep."<p>

She sharply poked Cheren, who abruptly jerked awake. The commotion jolted White into consciousness as well.

"I… wasn't asleep," Cheren muttered. "I was just… resting. I could still hear her, though. They were… leaving the cave… and…"

"Well, I was," White shouted. "No offense to you, Claire. Your story isn't boring, it's just, well, I'm frankly exhausted. Can we just… pick this back up in the morning, or something?"

"Oh, s-sorry," Claire stuttered, somewhat ashamed that she had neglected to notice that two-thirds of her audience had passed out. "Y-yeah, that's fine."

"Again, real sorry, Claire," White yelled rather unnecessarily as she pulled out four more sleeping bags. "I'm glad you're finally telling us stuff. It's pretty cool, too. Like, caves, and stuff, with ice. Yeah. And, like, apples."

Her rambling was cut off by a roaring yawn. She shook her head, looking rather confused.

"Look, I don't even know what I'm saying. My brain, is like, needs sleep. So, yeah. Night."

With that, she collapsed on top of her sleeping bag. Claire looked around to see Cheren already passed out in his, and Bianca looking at Claire from hers.

"Goodnight, Claire!" she called out. "I'm really sorry about all that bad stuff, but there was some good stuff too, so that's good! Sweet dreams!"

Claire smiled at the kind wishes, but inwardly knew her dreams would be far from sweet. With the beginning of the dark turn in her past so freshly in her mind, her dreams would doubtlessly be haunted with dark auras. As she lay her head down in her sleeping bag, she could almost already feel the vast masses of the Shadow Muks crushing her again…


	17. Chapter 15: Sandy Reflections

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 15: Sandy Reflections and Warm Welcomes

As by far the most energetic member of the little quintet of trainers, Bianca was the first to wake up the next day. The sun had not quite risen yet, so she fought the urge to awaken everyone else and instead set out for a walk along the tiny island's beach. None too partial to the solitude, she soon sent out her whole team to walk with her.

"Are you guys all ready for this? Like, this whole world-saving-y adventure?" she asked them breathlessly. "I don't really know if I am, I mean, I'm really excited, but I'm also really nervous, but I'm also really determined, too! You know?"

Emboar patted her reassuringly on the back. He had always been her rock, the one she could fall back on and count on for support. He helped her stay brave, confident, and motivated. Her whole team did, really.

They really were much more like a family than her actual one, she thought as she gazed absentmindedly at a wild Wingull; her mom was apathetic to her existence, and, though her dad did care about her, he would never support any of her dreams. He just wanted her to stay at home, and had only grudgingly even agreed to her becoming a Pokémon Trainer. Even then, he had pestered her continually to "visit" home "for a little," which would soon turn into week after week of "just one more day". Finding it difficult to disobey her father directly, Bianca finally just stopped answering his calls and going back to Nuvema.

She had only reluctantly left her flat in Nimbasa that she shared with Elesa to meet with Cheren and White and everyone, and even that had taken a good deal of persuasion. Once back in the town she no longer really called home, she had carefully avoided her dad's sight until their hasty flight to the Pokémon League.

Most of her friends, Emboar and White especially, encouraged her to go back and stand up to her father rather than just hide from him, but on the few occasions she had tried she had found herself simply unable to do it. After she refused for long enough, they mostly stopped mentioning it, though White had briefly argued with her about it when she went back to Nuvema a few days ago. Thankfully, Claire's disappearance had cut _that_ particular topic short.

Yet, she prickled with guilt every time she thought of how she distanced herself from her father. He did care about her, but, at the same time, he wasn't especially nice to her. All the same, he was her dad, and she didn't think it was right for her to cut him out of her life… but she couldn't bear to face him…

On the beach, she let out a long sigh, and her shoulders slumped. Sensing her sadness, her Pokémon gathered closer to her; Simisage climbed up on her back and gave her a backwards-hug of sorts, while Musharna rubbed against her face affectionately. She couldn't help but smile, with her friends all around her.

"Thanks you guys, y'all are so sweet! I'm never alone with y'all! And with all of us together, we can do anything!"

Her whole team cheered energetically at this, as the newly rising sun set the horizon ablaze. Bianca's confidence soared, and in that moment she felt she could have taken on all of Cipher.

"…Bianca?" came Cheren's naturally cool voice from behind her. Bianca let out a slight shriek of surprise and whirled around. Glancing around, she was somewhat amazed to see that she had walked out of sight of the camp, and that Cheren had followed her. She quickly recalled her Pokémon, wondering how long she had been walking, and how Cheren had found her.

"We're-" Cheren began, but Bianca, not quite hearing him, swiftly interrupted him.

"Oh gosh, you scared me, Cheren! How did you find me? Are we very far from camp, and are the others ready to leave, or is everybody else still asleep, or what? What's going on now?"

"I swear Bianca…" Cheren murmured with a half-sigh-half-chuckle. "You have no settings between wide-awake and dead-asleep, do you?"

"Hee hee, not really," Bianca giggled. "It always drove Elesa crazy early in the morning. She is _not_ a morning person."

"I wouldn't have figured…" Cheren said with a low laugh. "But, anyway, to answer your questions, I followed your footprints in the sand, we're about a fifteen minutes walk away, and everyone is ready to leave if you are."

"Wait wait wait," Bianca said, waving her arms. "Only fifteen minutes? I mean, I've only been away for fifteen minutes? I had to've been walking for longer than that! The sun wasn't even up when I got up!"

"And the sunrise doesn't look more than thirty minutes old," Cheren commented with a hint of snark. "Fifteen minutes for you to get here plus fifteen minutes for me to follow you. You know, maths."

"Oh, you," Bianca sniffed after a moment, pushing Cheren back with decent force. "You always make me look dumb!"

"I couldn't do it without your help, B," Cheren laughed, and Bianca pushed him hard enough to send his butt to the sand. Their eyes met for just a moment, and then they both burst out laughing. Bianca actually fell to the ground after Cheren in her hysterics.

"…We have a strange friendship," Cheren finally concluded after their laughter subsided to minor giggles. Bianca continued to smiled and chuckle, but she couldn't help but feel the slightest pang at Cheren's words. That's all they had, and all they would ever have: a strange friendship. She did enjoy it, quite thoroughly, but, no matter how much she told herself she was happy with that, her heart insisted she wanted more. But it wouldn't happen: Cheren's heart went to White, whose went to N, whose went to all humanity and Pokémon. Romance just didn't stand a chance in their little group.

But Bianca would not dwell on that! No, she refused to focus on silly sad things like that. She'd focus on how much fun her strange friendship with Cheren was. She'd turn her head to the side and laugh at him in the sand.

"You could sure say that again…" she giggled.

"We have a strange friendship," Cheren repeated, betraying glimmer of snark again.

"Oh, you," Bianca snickered before rolling to her feet. As Cheren stood up, she was seized with an impulse, and saw no reason not to run with it.

"All right, let's head back!" she shouted, taking Cheren's hand and sprinting off at full speed, dragging him clumsily behind her. The sea breeze whipped through her hair in her dash, bringing with it a sense of freedom. The coolness of the easy air and the warmth of the rising sun, coupled with the softness of the sand beneath her feet and the feel of Cheren's smooth hand in her own was nothing short of perfect. A rather notable part of her did not want to ever reach the camp.

But, of course, since she was sprinting, she soon did. White, N, and Claire were all rubbing sleep out of their eyes, the fire out and the sleeping bags put away. Bianca stood a few feet away with her hand still in Cheren's, bouncing on the balls of her feet slightly. Claire tugged on White's arm and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.

"Ha, no, that's just Bianca," White chuckled.

Cheren suddenly stepped forward and removed his hand from Bianca's. Suppressing the slight twinge, Bianca bounced forward after him, focusing on her eagerness to progress.

"Hey guys! Morning! So what're we gonna do next, huh?"

"I suppose we should be leaving now. There isn't any reason to remain here longer," N answered, stifling a yawn.

"Woah, wait!" White called out. "Aren't ya gonna tell any more of the story?"

"There isn't enough time to stay here longer," N insisted. "We need to leave now."

"Easy for you to say, you already know what happens!" White retorted. "We barely got into it!"

"To be fair," Cheren spoke up, "we really didn't get a lot of useful information. I mean, as interesting as it all was, and all. But we still don't know, say, where Cipher's headquarters in Kanto are, and precisely what influence they have."

"Oh, they've taken over Silph Co, so they have that base in Saffron City, and they have a base on Cinnabar Island, and one in the northern mountains, and an underground one in Celadon City. Otherwise-"

"Woah, woah, woah, wait!" White interrupted. "They've taken over _Silph Co_? Like, the Pokéball makers?"

"Well, yes," N said, confused. "Not many people know that, though."

"I assume they control the Hoenn-based Devon Corporation," Cheren not-quite-asked. Bianca was finding the conversation difficult to follow, as she hadn't heard of either company.

"I can't know for sure. But I would assume so as well," N replied.

"So, they have a complete monopoly on Pokéballs," Cheren said, again just short of asking.

"No shit!" White yelled. "And you didn't think to mention this to _anyone_ before, N?"

"I… didn't think it mattered very much," N mumbled, averting White's eyes. Bianca frowned, sensing an argument building.

"Oh, no!" White shouted, throwing her arms into the air. "No, of course it _doesn't_ _matter_ that Cipher can _completely stop people from catching Pokémon everywhere forever_. Why should that make any fucking difference?"

"It makes no difference because they did that in Hoenn and Orre without taking over any corporations!" N suddenly yelled back, glaring up. "What matters is stopping their direct takeovers! Businesses are a small thing compared to the freedom of people and Pokémon everywhere!"

"Yeah, but you're missing the part where these businesses _make Pokéballs_," White shouted. "You know, the Pokéballs people need to _become trainers_. You know, the trainers _we_ need to _stop them_. All they'd have to do now is jack up the price of Pokéballs and wait a generation, and bam! Zero opposition."

"We are going to stop them _before_ a generation passes!" N countered. "You didn't think we were planning on waiting _years_, did you?"

"What do you-" White began to throw back, but Bianca just couldn't take the shouting anymore.

"Stop it! Stop fighting!" she interrupted. "This- this is just silly! We've got enough people to fight without turning on our friends, too!"

N and White glanced between Bianca and each other. A look of great sadness passed over N's face, and White let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, White," he whispered, reaching out and hugging her. He didn't seem to think anything of it beyond a physical manifestation of his apology, but Bianca still had to struggle with all her might to suppress a bout of giggles. Positively grinning, she bounced on the balls of her feet behind N's back. White's face momentarily flushed red, but she soon adopted the kind of face Bianca associated with accidently stepping on a Lilipup's tail.

"Gah, no, don't be, I am" White sighed. "Let's just get out of here, okay?"

"That sounds good," N said softly, pulling back. Their arms briefly rested on each other's, and they smiled as their eyes met. Bianca simply couldn't take their sheer adorability and let out a sort of shrieking whoop, leaping into the air.

"…What?" Bianca asked defensively as everyone stared at her. "I'm quirky!"

"That doesn't even begin to describe you, B," White chuckled as she sent out Reshiram. "All right, let's get going."

"Hold on!" Cheren quickly called out. "If we're going to be landing in Kanto next, I think we should develop our plan now."

"Oh yeah, we all did that while you two were rolling around in the sand or whatever," White said casually. "We're landing in Fuchsia City first, 'cause the Gym Leader there already knows N and Claire. She'll need to be brought up to speed, and then we'll split into two groups. One'll head north and one'll head west."

"Okay then…" Cheren murmured. "I suppose that sounds good. Fuchsia is at the tip of the coastal peninsula, yes?"

"Yes, it is," N said, releasing his yin dragon. "You can just follow behind Zekrom and me. Are you all ready to leave?"

So giddy with the prospect of the ensuing adventure that she felt like she was glowing, Bianca chose to answer N's question by bounding onto Reshiram's back. The other trainers briefly spoke about something, but Bianca paid them no mind and did not hear them. She thought only about landing in a completely foreign country, and how liberating the concept was. She felt like she was proving her independence, showing everyone that she was old and mature enough to take care of herself and live her own life.

After a few seconds that seemed to drift on vaguely, White was next to Bianca on Reshiram's back, and the yang dragon soared into the sky. As they sped across the ocean, Bianca stared transfixed at the growing mass of land ahead of them. She felt such swooping excitement at the thought of setting foot in the new region, so far away from familiar land, and that house that was not her home, and the father that would hold her there.

A perceptible chill went through N's body the moment his foot hit Kanto soil again, later that evening. It _felt_ imprisoning, like he had just voluntarily stridden back into a jail cell. Part of it was just memories, doubtlessly; he had, after all, traveled over the entire region at least twice, constantly under threat of discovery by Cipher. But there was something more than that. He could tell, in that instant, that they were being watched. It didn't exactly perturb him, though; it was more of a casual acknowledgement of something inevitable.

These thoughts passed quickly through his mind, and soon faded to allow room for things more important. He turned around to find Claire standing beside Zekrom, who was breathing rather heavily. N whispered a quick promise to use his tired friend as little as possible as he recalled Zekrom to his Pokéball.

In just under a minute, Reshiram and Unfezant also touched down on Route 15. N glanced at each of his friends, lingering briefly on White, and sighed at the horrible danger he had just led them into. His hand worriedly fell to Zoroark's Pokéball of its own accord.

"Be ready to fight or flee quickly," N whispered, almost as much to himself as to the others. "They might have expected us to come here. Or Leader Janine might be gone. Or possibly both. But be ready for anything."

With that, he made to walk through the gate into Fuchsia City, but Claire abruptly grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Um, N?" she whispered. "D-don't you think you should use Zoroark?"

N was silent for a moment, shuddering to think of what might have happened had he simple strode into Fuchsia with his signature hat and long green hair. Janine had made Fuchsia a rather safe place for him, but he couldn't count on that still being the case. He smiled and nodded to Claire to convey his thanks, before promptly throwing Zoroark's Pokéball to the ground. No sooner had the black fox appeared by N's side than they had both vanished, replaced by an apparently blind old man with a watch-Herdier. N smiled briefly, safely shielded under his friend's illusion.

Then, trusting his friends to follow, he swiftly walked into Fuchsia City without glancing back. He knew without needing to see that Claire had pulled her hat down to conceal her uniquely pink eyes, and that White had instinctively drawn slightly closer to her and lowered her hand to Samurott's Pokéball, and that Bianca was marveling at the vibrant flowers that blanketed the city, and that Cheren had pushed his glasses farther up his nose and was watching cautiously for signs of trouble. He felt a strong empathy to all of them, though he ironically found that it made him interact with them less, and merely walk ahead silently. But, truthfully, he knew not what he could say that would not be glaringly obvious.

The city was moderately large, but N was able to easily locate the gym, with its distinctive traditional-Johto-style roofs. Hoping against hope that Cipher had not learned of Janine's friendliness with N and Claire and decided to have her removed, N slowly stepped into the Fuchsia Gym.

N was glad to see that only a small handful of the gym's usual trainers were present. However, they were all waiting near the door, as Janine was locked in a rather intense battle with a red-haired boy N had never met before. The invisible walls had apparently been cleared away, as the battle between Janine's Weezing and the challenger's Alakazam was taking up the entire room.

"Just dodge the Sludge Bombs and keep using Psychic," the boy said flatly. N rather thought he sounded like Cheren.

"Keep at 'em, Weeze! You'll know what to do!" the Poison-type Leader yelled energetically. The two Pokémon kept exchanging blows, neither managing to get a hit, until Weezing was finally thrown back with a powerful Psychic attack. N was shocked to see the poison gas Pokémon shakily recover from the dent it had made in the wall. Alakazam coolly approached the injured Weezing, raising a spoon and chuckling menacingly.

"One more Psychic, Al-" the red-haired challenger simpered, but the rest of his command was drowned by Janine's emphatic shout, punctuated with a leap and a punch.

"Weezing, NOW!"

Immediately, her Weezing violently burst, the massive Explosion attack slamming the Alakazam against the roof. N was a bit saddened to see the resilient Psi Pokémon faintly attempt to raise himself upon crashing to the ground before quickly collapsing. The challenger stood motionless, staring at his fainted Pokémon as though he had never seen him before. N knew not whether he was sad for his Pokémon's pain or angry for his loss.

"All right! Last Pokémon! Let's do this!" Janine yelled out, switching out her deflated Weezing with an unusually small Venomoth. The challenger remained motionless for a moment longer before wordlessly recalling his Alakazam and sending out a towering Typhlosion.

"Stun Spore and Poison Powder!" Janine ordered, not fazed in the least at the type disadvantage. The Venomoth began rapidly beating her wings, releasing a cloud of toxic dust.

"Typhlosion, use Eruption!" the challenger shouted, suddenly fiery. The volcanic Pokémon arched his back and spewed a massive amount of flames and sparks into the air, which rained down all around the gym.

"Quick movements, Venomoth!" Janine called out. "Don't get hit!"

The tiny moth was able to swiftly dart back and forth, evading the bulk of the blazing cascade while continuing to release powdery venoms and paralytics and taunting her foe with a vocabulary N found surprisingly colorful. By the time Typhlosion had finished his attack, N could tell that he had already grown weaker from the poison.

"Great! Now Psychic!"

"Rollout, Typhlosion! You can take this bug!"

Typhlosion was thrown a good distance back by the Venomoth's psychic force. He struggled to roll forward, growing perceptibly angrier as his opponent continued to throw obscenities at him, but the Stun Spore seemed to be taking its effect.

"Can't… move…" he panted, eyes and back blazing, before being tossed back by another Psychic attack.

"Typhlosion, you can _do_ this!" his trainer urged with a curious mix of anger, sadness, pride, and frustration. "It's a tiny bug! You've taken much worse than this! Now Flamethrower!"

N saw the change in the Typhlosion's eyes. He was remembering all the fights he had had with his trainer, and how much his trainer was relying on him, and in an instant he was standing upright, bellowing something N could not make out, and blasting an intense jet of flame at the approaching Venomoth. The poison moth's wings were left ablaze, and she soon fell from the air rather gracelessly.

"Whew. Good work, Venomoth," Janine said as she recalled her fainted Pokémon. "And good battle, Silver! You're as strong as ever. Thought I had you for a second there, though…"

Just then, her eyes drifted over to the small crowd at the doorway, and, as N had hoped, lit up with recognition at the sight of Claire and N's old man disguise. Before the other trainers could step back into the gym's main room, Janine rushed forward and raised a hand authoritatively.

"All right everyone, gym's gonna close now!" she announced, to slight grunts of protest. "It's getting kinda late and my Pokémon are tired! Head home!"

No one seemed very happy about the early close, but Janine was respected enough not to be questioned. The trainers all filed out, murmuring amongst themselves, except for N's tet and the red-haired challenger, who stayed farther back in the room, watching Janine suspiciously.

"Hey, you guys gotta go, too!" she yelled, gesturing at White, Cheren, and Bianca, but N shook his head.

"It's okay, Janine. They're my friends."

The ninja girl turned to N, slight surprise flickering across her face again. Then she smirked, gazing somewhat bemusedly at N, before swiftly striking the gap between his ribs with pointed fingers. It took N a full second to feel the sharp stab of pain, and as he bent over slightly he saw that Zoroark's Illusion had faded.

In that instant, however, Janine had to back flip out of the way of Zoroark, who lunged at her the moment the illusion dissolved. He did not lunge again, but stared her down threateningly, standing between her and N.

"If you even think about hitting him again…" Zoroark growled, but N quickly set his hand on his head.

"It's okay, Zoroark. She just does that. She's a friend, remember?" N assured him.

"So? It's still not okay for her to just hit you like that," he growled back.

"Please, Zoroark," N pleaded, eager to get to discussing Cipher with Janine. "She didn't mean harm by it."

"Well, she still _did_ harm…" Zoroark grumbled, but willfully backed down. N nodded in thanks before turning to Janine, who chuckled appreciatively at Zoroark's protectiveness.

"So, it really was you," she said. "I thought so. How come you came back from Unova? Isn't it safer there? Or did you even get there?"

"I did manage to get there," N said, nodding. "These three are friends from Unova. We've come back to… well, I suppose I'll have to tell you everything now."

"So am I going to finally learn who this enemy of yours is? And _why_ they made everyone think you're going around blowing up buildings?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," N half-laughed, though he was in truth not joking. It was dangerous for anyone to know the details about Cipher. But Janine was a Gym Leader; she could take care of herself, and she was a critical ally. Now that he planned to expose Cipher, he had to start with her.

"You see, the reason-" N began, but Cheren suddenly spoke up.

"Wait," he said, loudly and almost angrily, glaring ahead at a random spot on the floor. After a brief pause, he swiftly threw a Pokéball and released his Liepard, ordering her to Night Slash the spot. She looked briefly confused, but hastily did so, and leapt back in surprise as the red-haired challenger and his Gengar formed from the shadows on the ground.

"Did you think you could eavesdrop unnoticed like that? Like none of us saw you?" he practically spat.

"People generally don't, when I don't want them to," the trainer said just as bitterly. "I'm surprised you managed to, if you need those glasses. Or do you just wear them to look smart?"

Cheren merely glared at the trainer with narrowed eyes. N made to ask Janine about the trainer, but Cheren found words first.

"Who are you? What's your name? And why were you trying to spy on us?" he demanded.

"Cheren, you do not need to yell," N said softly. "And I doubt that he is a Cipher agent, as he is clearly a friend of Janine's."

"Um, yeah," Bianca piped up, almost timidly. "Don't you think you might be overacting just a teensy bit?"

"No, I'm with Cheren!" White yelled. "He saw us come in and knew that Janine was gonna talk to us, so he hid to listen. Sounds a hell of a lot like he was placed here by Cipher to wait for us, don't ya think?"

"My thoughts exactly," Cheren agreed. "Now answer the questions."

"Hmmph, fine," the trainer said flatly. "I've got no idea what you're talking about though. My name is Silver Anima, and I'm a Pokémon Trainer from Johto. My boyfriend happens to be the Indigo Champion."

For reasons not clear to N, Silver stopped here and glared at each of them in turn, as though accusing them of something. When he turned to Cheren, he let out an indignant noise.

"Yeah, I've got a boyfriend. Got a problem with that, you ignorant Unovan?" he said forcefully, leaving N rather puzzled. Cheren, however, was quick to respond.

"No, frankly I couldn't care less," he threw back. "I'm just surprised _anyone_ would want to go out with someone as obnoxious and arrogant as you. Though he must be better than you, if he's the Champion. Perhaps you aren't so unlikable and rude to people you know could pulverize you?"

"Oh, forgive me for not treating the person who greeted me by _attacking_ _and shouting at _me with the utmost respect," Silver swiftly countered. "And one look at you tells me you're a dateless loser. I'd say it's clear which of us is unlikable."

"You-" Cheren started, but White had clearly had enough.

"Oh my Arceus would you both just _shut up_ before I _kill_ both of you!" she shouted. "There's no point to any of that!"

With that, she seized Silver by the shoulders and slammed him up against the wall. His Gengar moved to stop her, but she distractedly sent out Samurott, who blasted the ghost back with an unrelenting Hydro Cannon that briefly flooded the room, before the gym's drains that were installed for such things sucked the water down.

"Are you a Cipher agent?" White shouted in his face. Silver struggled to reach his Pokéballs, but White kept his arms still. N half-wanted to stop her excessively fierce interrogation, but was in truth too intimidated by the fire in her eyes.

"Let me down!" Silver shouted, far more angrily than fearfully, but White responded by slamming him into the wall again.

"_Are you a fucking Cipher agent or not_?" she screamed, quite likely loudly enough to be heard outside.

"No, I'm not! I don't even know what that _is_!" Silver answered hotly. "I hid because Janine was acting very suspicious, and I wanted to see what she was up to! Is that so hard for you to see?"

White did not answer, but let him fall to the floor. He hastily stood up, glaring indignantly at her.

"Send your Pokémon out," White ordered. "All of them."

"What? Why should-" Silver began, but White was clearly not in a mood to debate things.

"Do it _now_," White asserted, but Silver merely drew himself up taller.

"No," he said defiantly. "I _might_, if you'd give me a reason, but you can't just order me around like that."

"Okay, how about it determines whether or not we let you _live_?" White told him angrily. "That reason enough for you?"

Here, however, N decided that White had simply gone too far.

"White, please calm down," he said, trying to ask and tell her at the same time. "We are not going to _kill_ him, even if he is a Cipher agent."

"Oh? What do you propose we do with him then?" White threw back. "Just let him skip off merrily to Cipher's HQ and tell them where we are and what we're doing?"

"He doesn't know _what_ we're doing, and Cipher likely already knows _where_ we are," N explained, a bit irritated. "But let's just check his Pokémon before we jump to any conclusions."

"I'm so confused right now…" Janine mumbled loudly, having been largely forgotten in the moderate chaos. N gave her an apologetic look before turning to Silver.

"Silver, please show us your Pokémon team. We just need to confirm that none of them are Shadow Pokémon, and thus that you are not a spy for Cipher. We will explain what that means once we do."

"Okay, fine, if it'll end all this pointless drama," Silver finally agreed. With that, he walked over to his fainted Gengar, gave him a revive, and walked back to the group. He then gave revives to a few of his other Pokémon inside their Pokéballs. When all were healed, he sent out a Crobat, Magneton, and Weavile, as well the Alakazam and Typhlosion he had fought with, alongside his Gengar. Each glanced around before turning to Silver and asking what they should do.

"Well, there you go," Silver said bitterly. "Happy now?"

With that, N, White, Cheren, and Bianca collectively turned to Claire, who had remained quiet and inconspicuous since entering the gym. When she said nothing for a moment, White spoke up, her bitter mood seeping into her words.

"Well, Claire? Any Shadow Pokémon?"

"No," Claire whispered. "None of them."

"That settles it, then," N sighed with relief. "He is not a spy for Cipher. He's telling the truth."

"You don't say?" Silver snorted, beginning to recall his team, but Cheren answered quickly.

"No, I _don't _say," he said, with a tone of accusation not clearly aimed at anyone. "Just because he does not have any Shadow Pokémon doesn't necessarily-"

"Cheren," N interrupted, more than ready to move on to more important matters. "As long as I've been with Claire, I have not _once_ seen a single member of Cipher who didn't have at least one Shadow Pokémon. He's not a Cipher spy."

"Can someone explain to me what the _hell_ is going on?" Janine asked, with clearly worn patience.

"_Yes_," N said, unbelievably glad to have reached the entire purpose for their meeting Janine in the first place. And so, of course, someone just had to interrupt him again.

"I don't think we should tell him about everything, just because he's not a Cipher agent," Cheren insisted. "I mean, he-"

"Okay, come on now, Cheren," White cut in this time. "He ain't a Cipher agent, and that means he's gotta know about Cipher. _Everyone's_ gotta know about Cipher. Also? He's _dating_ the frickin Champion! I'd say that's a good contact to have, wouldn't you?"

"Okay, fine," Cheren sighed, conceding his loss. "Let's just get on with it."

"Yes, _please_," N practically begged. He remained silent, waiting for the next objection. When none came, to his enormous relief, he finally launched into his tale, starting with Cipher's takeover of Orre, through their conquest of Hoenn and N's flight, briefly glossing over his meeting Claire and their initial crusades in Kanto, until finally detailing the last few intense days in Unova and their return to Kanto, all the while adding in bits of information on Cipher to convey how terrible they truly were. He barely paused for breath the entire time. By the end, Janine was left looking shocked, while Silver merely stood looking unimpressed.

"That's… insane," she murmured, shaking her head slowly. "Just straight-up insane."

"I'd agree with that," Silver half-snorted. "And I'm going to reserve the right to remain skeptical."

"_Seriously_?" Cheren and White simultaneously shouted.

"After all of that," Cheren went on, "you're seriously just going to _ignore us_?"

"I said skeptical, not dismissive, idiot," Silver said with his increasingly distinctive glare. "I'm just going to look into this myself before I run off having story time with everyone in Kanto and Johto. Where are these bases you've been to?"

"Celadon, and Cinnabar, Silph Co at Saffron, and one just off in the northern mountains," N quickly answered. "But-"

"Great," Silver said coolly before turning and walking briskly out of the gym. N did not try to stop him, as he knew it would inevitably be in vain, and no one said anything for a few moments after his abrupt departure.

"Well, this explains those assassination attempts," Janine mumbled, very suddenly seizing N's attention.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he gasped. "Have Cipher agents been trying to kill you?"

"Well, someone has," she said nonchalantly. "But they aren't very good at it. I mean, they tried to _poison_ me the first time, for Arceus's sake. I sorta figured it was that enemy of yours, since I helped you, but I couldn't figure out how one person would be able to send so many assassins. But an international organization makes more sense."

"H-how often has this occurred?" N asked, still shocked that Cipher would seek such swift and harsh retribution for anyone even associated with him.

"Oh, about once every three days since I first met you," she said. "But again, they've never even come close. I think they might actually have just been trying to scare me, not actually kill me. Either that, or they just completely suck. They actually haven't tried in the entire time you've been gone, though."

N tried to find the right words to apologize, but before he could put them together, Silver rushed back into the gym just as abruptly as he had left.

"Get out of the gym," he ordered them seriously. "Right now."

"Why should we-" Cheren began haughtily, but Silver cut him off angrily.

"Or you'll all die! I mean it, now!"

With that, he turned and sprinted out of the gym. His words didn't quite register with N, who was still hung up on the attempts on Janine's life, but White, having recalled her Samurott, hastily grabbed his wrist and began dragging him with her.

"Guys, _move_," she told them impatiently. Janine was out of the door in a flash, and White dragged N and Claire out immediately after, closely followed by Bianca, who was dragging an irritable Cheren, who was still clutching his Liepard's Pokéball. N watched all of this in an almost dreamlike state, Zoroark running at his side, as they rapidly moved away from the gym and the last of the day's sunlight began to fade. When they finally caught up with Silver a good ways away from the gym, N blinked and suddenly returned to reality. He had only a moment to wonder what was wrong before he turned back around, and the Fuchsia Gym violently exploded.

It surprised N only for a moment. After that, he realized that had known that was about to happen all along without realizing it. That was Cipher's general plan: blow up buildings that N entered. This was the fifth time they had done it, and N mentally berated himself for failing to foresee it. It was a win-win for Cipher; they would either kill N or give more credit to their terrorist story.

"My… my gym…" Janine whispered, tears just barely beginning to glisten in her eyes. "It… It's just…"

"You're damn luck I left," Silver said to no one in particular, attracting a few glares. "And that I saw those shady guys setting up those Electrodes."

Claire nervously backed up behind N, staring mesmerized at the shattered, blazing ruins of the gym, and the severely scarred buildings next to it. Cheren kept glancing back and forth between the horrific sight and Silver, who walked over to Cheren and sniffed superiorly.

"You trust me now?" he asked. "Well, you should. I'll leave you all to deal with this."

As the crimson-haired trainer made to walk away, however, a cold, horrifyingly familiar voice reached N's ears. He almost didn't want to turn around, as though she would not be there if he simply did not look.

"Who's that there? Oh my, is that you, Silver? Oh, how long has it _been_, my dear son?"

The shock of this made N momentarily forget his fear, and without truly meaning to he whirled around to see the brilliant crimson hair and sadistically gleaming eyes of the Cipher Admin Ariana. White, Janine, and Cheren swiftly drew their Pokéballs, and Silver approached his mother coolly.

"And who else do we have here?" Ariana simpered, walking forward slowly with a vanguard of Cipher peons. "My, my, it seems that _dreadful_ terrorist N has made another attack. We'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

With that, she snapped her fingers, and the vanguard attacked.


	18. Chapter 16: Resisting Arrest

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 16: Resisting Arrest

White's Excadrill and Samurott were out the moment the Cipher battalion moved forward. Immediately, they were met with Ariana's Vileplume and a peon's Poliwhirl. As White expediently glanced over the rapidly growing crowd of Pokémon, she took note of N's Altaria and Camerupt, Cheren's Simipour and Serperior, and Bianca's Emboar. She noticed with a slight grimace that Cipher's Pokémon already greatly outnumbered theirs. Just before the forces clashed, however, Ariana held her arm out.

"You sure you don't just want to surrender now, dears? Really, it's no good to resist arrest. You'll be in for a dreadful thrashing if you do," the Cipher Admin called out loudly, sounding suddenly very remorseful. It was then that White looked beyond the eminent combatants to see that several citizens of Fuchsia had gathered in the dark street, murmuring with shock at the ruins of the gym. White's eyes narrowed as she realized what the Cipher Admin was trying to pull.

"Please," Ariana begged. "I really don't want to have to do this, but you've been discovered at the scene of a crime, and with two fugitives at that. You'll all need to be taken in, I'm afraid. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Bouffalant shit!" White shouted. "You're a bunch of Cipher agents, not the Arceus-damned police! What makes you think you can just blow up a building and pin it on us and arrest us in the middle of the street?"

"Are you… trying to blame _us_ for the terrorist N's attack?" Ariana asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "And, sweetie, you may not have noticed, but we _are_ the police. I know uniforms look different back in Unova, but that's not how they look everywhere. These are Kanto uniforms."

"Wait, _what_?" White gaped. "You've taken over the _police_?"

"Honey, I'm not going to ask you again," Ariana said, growing more serious. "Anyone here willing to come quietly? You'll be in _much_ less trouble if you do."

"Hold it!" Janine suddenly called out, eyes blazing. "I'm the Gym Leader of Fuchsia, and I was _in_ there right before it blew up, and _I_ say that none of these people could have had anything to do with it! I was with them the whole time!"

"Leader Janine, I'm afraid there's no way you can be certain of that," Ariana sighed. "They could easily have set the Electrodes before entering the gym. Now, _you_ certainly aren't in any trouble. We just want you to answer some questions about what happened at the gym today. But if you fight us, I'm afraid we're going to have to place you under arrest. Please don't make me do that."

"I will not allow you to do this," N said, far too softly, an irritated White noticed, to be heard by the onlookers. "Eruption and Ice Beam!"

"Shame," Ariana said simply, before snapping her fingers again and initiating the battle.

"Blizzard, Samurott, and Drill Run, Excadrill!" White immediately followed, simultaneously with Cheren's command. Bianca shouted her orders a second later, but by then the Cipher peons' Pokémon had begun unleashing a barrage of attacks. With the sheer number of Pokémon in the huge struggle, White was unable to focus on any Pokémon but her own.

"Crap, my Pokémon are still hurt!" she heard Janine shout. "Cover me for a second, guys!"

These words, however, barely registered with White, as she watched her Excadrill narrowly dodge a Bubblebeam from the Poliwhirl and counter with a Drill Run. Samurott's Blizzard began to rake over the Cipher Admin's Vileplume, but a massive Typhlosion suddenly stood in the way of the attack.

"Leave Ariana to me," Silver said, the coolness of his voice carrying over the tumult. His mother's laugh likewise stood out eerily in the midst of the fight.

"A lovely sentiment, dear, but please don't let yourself get dragged into this mess," she said, her cackle melding into a sigh. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not in these idiots' fight," Silver responded bitterly. "Not yet, anyway. But I owe you from last time. Now fight me! Typhlosion, Eruption!"

"If you insist, dear," Ariana said, shaking her head. "Sleep and Poison Powders, Vileplume."

White's attention was completely jerked away from Silver's exchange with his mother when four more Poliwhirls suddenly ganged up on Excadrill, bombarding her with Bubblebeams. White hastily withdrew her Subterrene Pokémon and replaced her with Leavanny, whose swift Leaf Blade attacks wiped out the foes' Poliwhirls. Before they had even fully fainted, however, two Skarmory appeared from nowhere and hit Leavanny with brutal Aerial Ace attacks. Critically hit, the Nurturing Bug Pokémon fainted almost instantly. White quickly switched her out with Zebstrika, but the Skarmory were already nowhere to be seen.

Samurott, meanwhile, was holding up rather well against small army of Roselia that were attempting to fight alongside Ariana's Vileplume, easily shaking off their Magical Leaf attacks and mowing them down with Blizzards. Silver's Typhlosion, somewhat ironically, was not doing very well against the Vileplume, inflicted with poison and only just reawakening.

"Flamethrower, quickly!" Silver shouted, increasingly bitter. Typhlosion sent a jet of flame at the Vileplume, who ignored the severe burns and rolled back to its feet.

"Another Venoshock, Vileplume," Ariana said with a smile, but White, already developing an ardent hatred of the Cipher Admin, quickly intervened.

"Hit the Vileplume, Samurott!" she shouted, and instantly Samurott had spun around and blasted the unexpecting Flower Pokémon with a frigid gale that at last knocked it unconscious.

"I thought I said to leave her for me," Silver hissed, and, though he did not bother to turn to her, White could practically see his angry stare. A rant about the bastard's arrogance and ungratefulness and lack of care for his Pokémon quickly rose to White's mouth, but it was cut off by an irritated cry from her Zebstrika. White turned to see her under attack by a gang of Dugtrio, and quickly sent Samurott to help. With the Dugtrio knocked out, White took a moment to survey the battle as a whole.

It quickly became apparent how thoroughly outnumbered they were. Though Bianca's Emboar was still hanging in the match alongside Claire's Reinigen, Cheren's Serperior seemed to have been knocked out, as well of both of N's first Pokémon. Each Pokémon was fighting no fewer than three foes, and Silver's Typhlosion was quickly overcome by _six_ Sevipers and Ariana's Arbok. It was like the Battle of Opelucid again, except they didn't have an army.

Concerned mostly with Claire in the chaos, White began to lead her Pokémon towards the young trainer. She gradually backed up until she was fighting back-to-back with Bianca, just beside Claire. Janine was already between Claire and Bianca, and Cheren soon followed White's lead and moved his fight to Bianca's other side. When N backed up to White's side, she saw that their only ally who was not a part of their defensive ring was Silver, whose Magneton was swiftly taken out by a Dig attack from Ariana's Arbok.

"How are you holding up, Claire?" White whispered, not taking her eyes of Samurott and Zebstrika's battle with several Marowak and Skarmory.

"I-I'm… okay…" Claire murmured, her voice shaking badly. At that moment, a Marowak took out Zebstrika with several swift Bone Rush attacks. White sighed as she recalled her electric zebra, having known it would come to this.

"We're losing, guys, and bad," she called out, just loudly enough to be heard by her comrades. "We need to run away."

"What? No!" N shouted. "We cannot allow Cipher to win this!"

"Yeah, that's _why_ we should run," White said bitterly. "You know what would be a win for them? Capturing Claire and Reinigen, or any of us. If we get away, we win. We can fight them again."

"But they will be able to portray us as the criminals if we flee!" N countered. "We _must_ defeat them!"

"Yeah, well we _can't_," White bluntly threw back. "There's too damn many of them. We need to run."

"But-" N began, but White had had enough.

"Stop acting like an Arceus-damned _child_!" she spat. Immediately, she regretted it, as a painfully dejected look fell over N's face. Positively burning with guilt, she made to give some sort of apology, but several Sevipers suddenly broke between them. White hastily looked back at the fight and was horrified to find that Samurott, Zoroark, and Carracosta had all been knocked out while White and N had been fighting, and the two of them had been left defenseless. White managed to withdraw Samurott from the fray before he could sustain any more injuries, but, before she could draw another Pokéball, two Sevipers bound her legs and arms, dragging her to the ground.

Just barely after she hit the ground, however, sharp Stone Edge attacks precisely struck the fanged snakes from both sides, loosening their grips. As White rolled to her feet, she identified Cheren's Gigalith and N's Breloom as her saviors. However, the moment they had spent focused on her allowed them to be swiftly taken out by the swarm of snakes.

Worse, just as White's hand fell to her last two Pokéballs, the Sevipers ensnared N's legs and dragged him away from the group with astonishing speed. She made to throw her Pokémon to N's rescue, but N shook his head, his face sad and worn in the dim street lights, and spoke in a whisper White was vaguely surprised she managed to hear.

"No, just get somewhere safe… Don't get hurt… And Claire…"

White found herself feeling like the most terrible person in the world, for being so cruel to N. With a cry of sorrow mingled with rage, she sent out Reshiram and simply shouted for him to attack. He wiped away the serpents which were beginning to capture the now-defenseless Claire and Bianca, but was soon bombarded by Rock Slides from Skarmory. White knew he would not last long under the sheer number of foes, especially given his existing exhaustion.

White searched frantically for N, but he had already vanished into the mob of Cipher peons, and she knew the Sevipers would be closing in on Claire again. Swearing under her breath, she turned swiftly, seized a shaking, wide-eyed Claire in her arms, and leapt onto Reshiram's back. She made to send Archeops to pick up Bianca, but to her surprise Bianca suddenly flew up beside her on the back of Cheren's Unfezant, sobbing audibly over the tumult.

Almost just as quickly, Cipher agents began pouring into the air, unleashing attack after attack. White had only enough time for a moment's glance down. She saw, with a pang of regret, that Janine was overcome and restrained before she could take flight, and Cheren was likewise defeated with his last conscious Pokémon flying away with Bianca. Silver, on the other hand, was still battling Ariana on his own surprisingly well, and was showing no signs of preparing to flee. The one White wanted to see most, however, was nowhere to be seen. Tears began to well up as she recalled what could very well have been the last thing she would say to him, just before she forced herself to order Reshiram to fly away into the night.

The blazing white dragon, moving at top speed, was far faster than any of his pursuers, both friends and foes. It was thus less than a minute before White and Claire were far ahead of the Cipher peons, and had left Bianca and Unfezant completely behind. She had to master the impulse to go back for them, as she knew that Claire had to be protected. She held the small girl instinctively closer.

Around then, however, it dawned on White that she had no idea where she was going, aside from "away". She glanced down and saw that the bay of sorts that they were flying over was just ending, and they were about to be directly over a reasonably-sized city. She asked Claire where they ought to go, but it was a few seconds before she responded.

"Um… I-I think… Th-there's a cave th-they never found out about down there. I-in the forest, at Mount Moon's base."

"That'll have to do," White mumbled as Reshiram descended. In a few moments they landed, and Claire tentatively leapt down and began to lead the way. It didn't take long to find the cave, and there were fortunately no Cipher agents waiting for them.

After a brief sigh of relief, White began to act quickly. She searched through her bag's "medicine" pocket, which was only slightly better-organized than her "miscellaneous" pocket. She realized what a hindrance her disorganization was, and how she could have potentially healed her Pokémon mid-battle if it didn't take a solid minute to locate anything. At last, with no small amount of bitterness, she found the revives her mother had given her and hastily pulled them out. She tossed five to Claire before using one on each of her fainted Pokémon. She then threw Claire five super potions as she rummaged for some hyper potions for her own Pokémon. Once all of their Pokémon were essentially recovered, White sent Samurott, Excadrill, and Leavanny out next to Claire, recalled Reshiram, and jumped onto Archeops's back.

"I'm gonna go back and find Bianca, at least," White told Claire, not knowing what she meant to convey with her strong tone. "Just stay here and you should be fine. Guys, protect Claire with all you've got if anything goes wrong."

"Um, White-" Claire began slowly, but White was feeling far too angry, mostly with herself, to be able to confidently refrain from yelling.

"Listen, Claire, you'll be just fine here. I won't be gone long, but I need to at least make sure Bianca got away. Don't worry, alright?"

"O-okay…" Claire whispered, and with that White was off.

"Ohhh Archeops I swear I'm gonna tear all my hair out and punch someone," White ranted as they flew up. "Seriously, I'm just gonna go insane. I just left two of my best friends to definitely be captured and probably another one too and I'm a complete jerk to N when he's just trying to help and we're probably all about to die."

Archeops cried sympathetically, and White felt slightly better. She just began drifting through the night sky, dreading what was happening to N and Cheren and Janine and even Silver. She was barely even searching for Bianca, noticing nothing but a wild Wingull, until Archeops called out urgently, and began flying up quickly. White squinted through the black of the night until she caught sight of a lone flying figure in a part of the dark pierced by cities and stars. When she got closer, to her enormous relief, she saw that it was in fact Bianca.

"Hey! B! Over here!" White called into the night. Bianca turned around frantically, and seemed to notice White, but Unfezant just kept flying forward. Grunting slightly, White soared Archeops to Unfezant's side.

"Hey, Bianca, follow me!" she yelled over the wind. Bianca stared at her with fearful eyes as Unfezant flew onward.

"I-I can't! H-he won't listen to me! He just keeps on going north!" Bianca shouted with a shaky voice. White swore under her breath and rammed Archeops into Unfezant to grab his attention.

"Hey, Unfez! Just follow me, okay? We've found a safe place!"

Unfezant made an irritated, offended noise, and did not alter his course. White smashed Archeops into Cheren's bird again, more powerfully this time, and shouted as though commanding one of her own.

"Look, Cheren sent you so Bianca would be safe! She'll be safest with us! Now, _follow me_!"

The Proud Bird Pokémon cried indignantly, but relented to fall behind White in pursuit. White kept a close eye on him, as well as for any Cipher agents, as Archeops dove back down to the cave they had hid at. She began to fear for Claire's safety, wondering whether she had been found, and redoubled Archeops's speed.

Upon landing before the cave, White breathed an incredible sigh of relief to find everyone as she had left them. She thanked all of her Pokémon and recalled them before collapsing against the cave wall at Claire's side. Bianca sat on White's other side a moment later.

"Oh, White," Bianca half-sobbed. "_Cheren_. He's… He's still back there… Oh White what do you think they're doing to him! Do you think they're gonna torture him to talk, or oh White what if they just kill him! What if he's already dead! Oh, and N too, he's so nice, and they really don't like him, and now they'll really hate Cheren too, oh White, I don't-"

"Snap out of it, B!" White shouted, smacking and hugging her friend in rapid succession. Her own anxiety rapidly melted away when her friend needed a strong shoulder to lean on so badly.

"Wh-White-"

"Look, we can't think like that! Cheren's smart, he can and no doubt did figure out a way to keep from getting killed! They're all captured by now, sure, but they aren't dead! Okay! They'll be fine!"

"Y-yeah," Claire suddenly spoke up, her voice soft but determined. "We'll s-save them. We're g-gonna save everyone, right?"

Bianca sighed and smiled at this. She moved in front of White and Claire, and pulled them both into a group hug.

"Right," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Cheren prayed that Bianca would safely escape the legions of Cipher as his final conscious Pokémon whisked her away, beyond his sight. He knew better than to struggle against Cipher's serpents as they bound and restrained him. He saw, to his immense relief, that White had escaped on Reshiram, and Claire as well. But the rest of his allies, though he could see none of them in the crowd, did not appear to have escaped.<p>

His face dragged along the ground as the Sevipers pulled him away, skinning portions of his face and scratching up his glasses. It was fairly painful, but ended soon, when the snakes pulled him to an upright position on his knees beside the Gym Leader, Janine. He saw N on the Leader's other side, and bit his lip nervously. His mind began to race around for possible ways to escape, or, at a minimum, survive.

Finding no readily-evident plan, he looked around and managed to discern from his damaged glasses that someone was still battling the Cipher Admin. He felt a flash of anger and humiliation when he realized that it was that arrogant scumbag, Silver.

Of course, given that he was just fighting the Admin one-on-one, that Silver was still fighting did not mean that he was any stronger or more skilled than Cheren or anyone else. However, Cheren had to begrudgingly admit to himself that Silver was no pushover as his Alakazam knocked out the Admin's (likely Shadow) Arbok.

"Finish this up, Murkrow," Ariana said with a smile. Silver smirked, staring with his usual condescension, before giving his next command.

"Charge Beam," he said simply, but Ariana's smile only widened as her Murkrow lunged forward before the Psi Pokémon could react. Cheren realized what was happening a moment before Silver did, and two moments before the Sucker Punch attack knocked Alakazam out cold.

"This is just silly, dear," Ariana sighed. "Just stop it, okay?"

Silver did not deign to respond, but silently sent out his Weavile, who leapt forward with an Ice Punch. The Murkrow easily glided to the side, however, and the Weavile smashed into the ground.

"Wing Attacks, then" Ariana almost giggled. Her Murkrow responded by repeatedly smashing the Weavile with its dark wings, skipping tantalizingly out of reach when Sharp Claw Pokémon struck out. Finally, when Cheren was beginning to criticize Silver's repeatedly ineffective strategy, the crimson-haired trainer cried out in frustration.

"Bah, just Aerial Ace it, Weavile!"

Weavile lunged out with rapid slashing attacks. It finally managed to land a hit, and dealt decent damage to the Murkrow, but was then struck with a final Wing Attack, which finished it off. Cheren snorted with contempt as Silver sent out a Crobat, but blinked with shock when it miraculously managed to hit a Poison Fang immediately and inflict bad poisoning. The Murkrow continued to seamlessly avoid all of Crobat's Air Slashes and Venoshocks, peppering it with Sucker Punches, but was visibly pained by the venom. Finally, it managed to bring the Crobat down with a Wing Attack, but was itself taken down by the poison. Without so much as a pause, Silver sent out his Gengar and Ariana her Muk. Ariana giggled before issuing her command.

"Just Shadow Balls, Muk," she smiled.

"Likewise, Gengar," Silver responded, but his face was grim, because he had clearly lost. In the back of his mind, Cheren vaguely acknowledged his determination, but for the most part remained contemptuous for his arrogance and thus amused at his failure.

It was, of course, over soon. The two Pokémon exchanged Shadow Ball attacks briefly, but the Gengar couldn't withstand two hits. Lacking Pokémon capable of battle, Silver still stood his ground and glared his mother in the face. She merely laughed and snapped her fingers, setting a pair of Sevipers on her son. He attempted to fight them off disdainfully, but they quickly overpowered him, and he soon was dragged beside Cheren.

"Say nothing," he said venomously, as Cheren smirked at him. "I did better than you."

"Because you were only fighting one person," Cheren murmured. "I fought their entire army."

"Their entire army fought me, too-" Silver began, but the snakes binding each of them tightened and cut off their speaking ability.

"I deeply regret that it had to come to this," Ariana called out. "Especially for you, Leader Janine. But you forced us to this. Now, all agents capable of flight must pursue the ones who fled. Go now! Everyone else, we will escort these captives to prison. Vileplume, Sleep Powder."

As she spoke, she pulled out a revive and slipped it into one of her black Pokéballs. She then threw her Vileplume out, which then sprayed a green powder across the line of captives. Cheren blinked when the dust got stuck in his eyes, and found it almost painful to reopen them. An unnatural relaxation stole over his muscles, and his eyelids became incredibly difficult to hold steady. The last information his brain took note of was Ariana's cruelly sweet voice, whispered so just that only her prey would hear.

"I can hardly believe you're the ones who gave Lord Greevil such trouble. Oh, we're going to have such fun, my little darlings."


	19. Chapter 17: Cave Stories

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 17: Cave Stories

Bianca, as always, was the first to awaken after the nap they had decided to take to regain their energy. However, this was not by very much, as she immediately caught sight of three shadowy figures standing in front of them and promptly woke the others up with her panicked shriek.

"…Stop," one of them said, but Bianca only spluttered even more. She thought she knew who they were, but sincerely hoped she was wrong.

White had Samurott out in a flash, which cleared Bianca's head enough to allow her to send out Emboar. Their starters growled menacingly at the intruders, who stared impassively at them.

"…Do not fear," the red-eyed one said. "None know your location but us."

"Y'know, for some reason, I'm finding that hard to believe," White grunted bitterly. Bianca tried to add something, some agreement, but was still struggling to regain her breath.

"…Are we yet to prove ourselves trustworthy?" the blue-eyed one said. "When have we lied?"

"Now, _you'll_ forgive me if I'm less than happy to see you," White spat. "Considering that the last time I saw _you_ you shredded my face and knocked me a hundred thousand feet from the air."

"…That is an exaggeration," the blue-eyed one said. "But my actions were necessary. They were, in fact, beneficial to you."

"Still having trouble believing you," White snorted. Claire walked up behind Bianca and White, and Bianca recovered slightly. She had to be brave for Claire. But, before she could say anything tough, the green-eyed one spoke.

"It is irrelevant," he said. "You will not risk finding another location."

"Now, we have come for a specific reason," the red-eyed one said.

"You see, we were told to give you this," said the blue-eyed one, pushing a strangely translucent bronze bell into White's left hand, causing a soft, high tinkling sound.

"And this as well," said the green-eyed one, placing a bluish-silver bell into White's other hand, which emitted a slightly deeper tone that reminded Bianca of seashells.

"And, lastly, this," the red-eyed one said, and withdrew a small, oddly-shaped lilac instrument. White made to take it, but the blue-eyed ninja moved her hand away.

"Not you," he said. "This one is for Bianca Alba."

Bianca blinked in surprise, and took the small flute without really realizing it. Why in the world would they want to give something to _her_? She was nothing special. White was the one who always got the mythical artifacts.

"…We would also advise," the green-eyed one said, "that you, Bianca Alba, hold the items we gave to White on the Marvelous Bridge."

"I… what? Why me?" Bianca finally managed to get out.

"It is not necessary that you understand," the blue-eyed one said.

"Nor that you even hold them," said the red-eyed one. "We merely advise it."

"I… okay?" Bianca spluttered, increasingly perplexed. White, however, seemed to only be made bitter.

"Well what are we supposed to do with these? Put on a music show?" she said with a sniff.

"In time," was the green-eyed one's response.

"For now, merely keep the items you have just been given," said the red-eyed one.

"And, lastly, we must take Claire Thomas's Reinigen," said the blue-eyed one. "It will be returned shortly."

Before Bianca could even process what he had said, White shouted some command and Samurott swamped the three shadows with a massive wave of water. When his attack stopped, however, the Shadow Triad had stepped silently out of the way, and a Cacturne and Sharpedo were standing in the way of the attack, blocking a Houndoom as well as their masters. White glared on at the ninjas and their Pokémon, while Bianca stood beside her, frantically wondering what she should do.

"Please do not make us battle," the green-eyed one said.

"We do not enjoy it," the red-eyed one said.

"We only ask that the Reinigen in Claire Thomas's possession be given to us," the blue-eyed one said.

"It will be returned without suffering any harm within a few days," the red-eyed one added.

"Not gonna happen," White spat at them. "Get the fuck out of our cave, _now_, or we _will _kill you."

"…Have you so soon forgotten what it is like to die, White Shirkuro?" the blue-eyed one said softly. "Would you inflict that on us?"

Bianca looked fearfully at White, not understanding the ninja's words. White stared impassively at the dark trio, but her anger faltered slightly. The green-eyed one moved forward slightly, and seemed about to speak, but the soft noise of teleportation and a similarly soft voice made the Shadow Triad uncharacteristically flinch and spin in surprise.

"Ah, _there _you are," said a masked, purple-haired man, dressed in unusually fancy maroon clothes with a Gardevoir by his side. "I've been looking for you three all day. I certainly hope you are not giving these lovely ladies any trouble."

"…You, huh. It has been a while," the green-eyed one said.

"Indeed, it has been," the purple-haired man said jovially. "Not since you left for Unova. I certainly have missed you."

The Shadow Triad did not respond immediately. Bianca was somewhat disconcerted by the masked man, but he seemed to be an enemy of the dark trinity, and, by extension, a friend of her, and thus remained optimistic. Just as she decided this, the new man spoke again, slightly more seriously.

"Right, well, listen here, and listen well. I'm going to just give you the chance to leave now. Just slide on out of here, and we won't have any problems. For now, anyway. If you keep on bothering these ladies trouble, though, then we will have problems, right now. What do you say, hmmm?"

The purple-haired man continued to smile at the three ninjas, who stared impassively at him. Bianca watched with mounting unease, desperately hoping not to be caught up in another fight and unconsciously clutching her new flute tightly. Finally, the triad spoke.

"Very well," the blue-eyed one said.

"We will go," the red-eyed one said.

"For now," the green-eyed one said.

With that, the shadows vanished with their Pokémon. The masked man stared for a moment at the spot where they had stood before turning to Bianca, White, and Claire and smiling.

"Terribly sorry about them," he half-chuckled, shaking his head. "They can be quite pushy. I hope they didn't bother you ladies too much."

"Okay, who the hell are you?" White finally snapped. "And how did _you_ find us? And how do you know the Shadow Triad? Oh, and who the hell _are_ you?"

The man smiled wider and bowed extravagantly, producing a rose from thin air that he then seemed to multiply into three. He tossed one to each of them, and Bianca was surprised when it flew perfectly into her hand as she scrambled to catch it.

"Expert magician, master of the Psychic-type, and Indigo Elite Four!" he proclaimed, as his Gardevoir flashed bright pink-and-purple lights that left stars in Bianca's eyes. "I am the charming Will, at your service!"

"Well, that's one question," White snorted, crumpling her rose up. "Now, how did you find us, and how do you know the Shadow Triad?"

"Ah, yes, those matters would concern you, now, wouldn't they?" he chuckled. "How did I find you? The short answer is that I did not. I found the Shadow Triad, and you happened to be in the same place. I cannot say how they found you, but I can guess it is the same tracking ability that led me to them. And how do I know them? Put as simply as I please, they are old acquaintances of mine. We no longer see eye-to-eye, unfortunately."

White merely snorted again, but Bianca remained slightly transfixed by the masked man. Everything about him, from his clothes to his voice to his demeanor, was positively mystifying. He moved as though to speak again, but Claire suddenly spoke up, whispering from behind White.

"I… I just r-realized s-something…" she murmured, as though attempting to hide her words from the lavender-haired man.

"Hmm, Claire? What's that?" White asked, turning away from the magician.

"N-none of their P-Pokémon… I-I mean, the Sh-Shadow people's C-Cacturne and Sharpedo a-and Houndoom… None of them were Sh-Shadow Pokémon."

"Oh, really? Huh, weird," White hummed. "…You know, come to think of it, I can't remember them ever mentioning actually working for Cipher. I don't think they even mentioned… _Ghetsis_."

She spat the last word like a disgusting drink she would rather get out of her mouth as quickly as possible. Bianca shuddered at the memory of that creepy man. After a brief moment of tension, White turned back to Claire.

"Do you know if _he_ is part of Cipher?"

"N-no… I'd n-never heard of him until three days ago. Is he N's d-dad?"

"Barely," was White's answer. At this point, the masked magician decided to speak up again.

"May I be so bold as to ask what the Triad wanted with you, and why you are in this cave? Oh, and-"

"No," White replied tersely. "You can go away now."

"White!" Bianca cried out, a bit surprised that White would be so rude to their savior. "He just made the Shadow Triad leave us! He saved Reinigen!"

"Hardly," White dismissed. "We would've beaten them just fine on our own."

"Still, he made it so we didn't have to fight! You ought to be nicer!"

"Ugh, fine, whatever," White sighed grumpily. "Okay, you _charming magician_, or whatever it is you call yourself-"

"'Will' is just fine," Will said.

"Don't interrupt me. Please," White said. "So, _Will_. What do you want?"

"Well, I must say, I am curious about you, and why the Shadow Triad sought you. And this 'Cipher' and these 'Shadow Pokémon' and this 'Reinigen'. Explain however much you like."

"Okay, fine. I guess you _are_ an Elite Four," White gave in. "First, Cipher."

White then launched into a brief explanation of what Cipher and Shadow Pokémon were, and what they had done so far, and what she and her friends had done. Will watched her closely throughout the story, and nodded when she was done.

"Ah, so _that's_ what they are called. Cipher."

"Wait, what?" Bianca said, startled, as White's eyes narrowed. "Do you know about them already?"

"To a point," Will said. "I must say, though, you ought to be more careful about whom you divulge this information to. You didn't know enough about me to trust me."

"B-but… you're an Elite Four member," Bianca stated confusedly. Will laughed a bit humorlessly in response.

"Yes, and _that_ immediately makes me noble," he chuckled. "Unfortunately, that is not so. I fear that there is corruption in the Indigo League."

White swore loudly at this, as fear doused Bianca's brain. If they couldn't trust the League officials, whom could they trust?

"Okay, you're gonna have to tell us more than that," White said quickly. "_Who_, and _how_, and… just, argh! Tell us whatever you know."

"Well, I can only say about my colleagues. I know little about the Gym Leaders," he said slowly. "But I do not trust the Elite Fours Koga and Karen. Karen, in particular, as she subtly threatened me when I asked what had become of Bruno (whom she returned to replace when he suddenly 'went to train in solitude') and when I attempted to follow her into the northern mountains. Koga, I have only seen conversing with her in hushed tones, though I did see them leave the Silph Co building together."

"Silph's been taken over by Cipher!" Bianca shouted in alarm, though White had mentioned this in her explanation. White put an arm around her with a sigh, and Will continued.

"The Elite Four Lance is quite, ah, _virtuous_, so I do not suspect him. The Champion Ethan certainly would not be involved with such people, either. But, to the point, I have suspected the existence of a hidden organization that is gradually gaining control for some time now. I have also suspected that their Pokémon are somehow unnatural. I am, however, suspected by Koga and Karen, so I have unfortunately not had an opportunity so speak with either Lance or Ethan about this."

A silence followed, disrupted after a few moments by a distant Wingull cry and more profanity from White. It then continued for few more moments, until again broken by Will's voice.

"Well, I now understand why you are hiding here. I assume your other friends have been captured?"

Sadness returned to Bianca, and she sniveled an affirmative response. Will nodded with a sigh before going on.

"All I wonder now, then, is why the Shadow Triad confronted you."

"Huh? Oh, to give us these," White grunted, shaking the two bells in Will's direction.

"And this!" Bianca proclaimed, somewhat proudly, as she held up her flute. White made another grunting noise and lazily took the instrument.

"Oh yeah, that too. I should probably keep that."

"W-wait! B-but, they gave that to me!" Bianca protested.

"Well, yeah, exactly," White said. "Don't you think that's kinda suspicious, that they'd single you out for this?"

"Well, they singled you out for those!" Bianca pointed out. "And those orbs, too! You can keep those, but I kinda wanna keep this."

"But it's just so unusual to give them to you. I'm worried they might be manipulating you."

"Oh, they're certainly manipulating the both of you," Will interjected, but Bianca, in her dejection, didn't pay him much mind.

"Unusual for me to get special stuff?" Bianca sighed. "I guess you're right… Okay, take it then."

"Gah, fine, just keep it. It doesn't really matter," White conceded, tossing the flute back to Bianca. Bianca still felt a little insignificant, but was happy that she at least got to keep the flute, and played a few odd notes on it that echoed around the cave.

"…You said something about 'orbs' they gave you earlier," Will said after a few moments. "Would those happen to be the Timespace Orbs?"

"Huh? You mean the orbs that belong to the, um, Creation Trio?" White said. "Yeah, those."

"I see. I wondered where they had ended up."

"Oh? Were you the one who found them?" Bianca asked, her interest grabbed by the legends Cynthia had told. White, however, spoke before Will.

"You know, that doesn't matter," she said quickly. "We've wasted enough time already. Will, you can make yourself useful by going and warning the Champion and anyone else you trust."

"Terribly sorry, but I cannot do that, as I explained earlier. The Elite Four Karen is watching me closely. I would likely be of greater assistance at your side."

"Okay, fine! Whatever!" White shouted. "First we've gotta break N and everyone free, and _soon_. You know where they are, Claire?"

Bianca turned to Claire, who had gone largely unnoticed off in a corner of the cave, apparently teaching her Dewgong a new move. She jumped at the sound of her name and hastily withdrew her sea lion, rushing over to Bianca and White.

"Um… I might…" she said softly. "I-I mean, there's a lot of C-Cipher bases, but… C-Could I j-just t-tell more of the s-story? I-I'm almost to the p-part that should help…"

White was visibly frustrated at this, but seemed to swallow her initial response. Bianca didn't much care for the new, more irritable White, but understood the pressure she was under, as something of the resistance's leader.

"Okay, sure, Claire," White said, with forced calm. "But please, go quickly. Like, don't spend thirty minutes describing a cave. Okay?"

"O-okay," Claire stammered, but Will spoke up before she began.

"Pardon me, but if I may interrupt, what story is this?"

"Claire and N's fantastic adventures in Kanto," White quipped somewhat sarcastically. "Before the whole Unova business. Go on, Claire."

Bianca then found a relatively comfortable spot on the cave floor to sit on. She glanced at White for a moment, and was saddened by the strain clearly evident in her face. She tried not to be put down by White's demeanor, but she still knew that what White had said was true; Bianca was never really special. She was always just _there_ when things far bigger and grander than her were happening, never doing anything very important, and she couldn't help but realize how this new war was more of the same. This dejection, coupled with her friends' sadness, just made her generally unhappy. Before turning her attention to Claire's story, she prayed to Arceus that everything would go back to normal and be happy again.

* * *

><p><em>Okay… So… We were running… Alongside Route 4… I mean, N was running, and carrying me. I was st-still p-paralyzed. I was… really scared, since I c-couldn't do anything. N got away really fast, though, and once we got out of their sight he got Zoroark out so we could look like different people. Th-then, we went south to Cerulean City, and just slipped in as quiet as we could. No one noticed us, really. At least at first.<em>

_So, we went to the Pokémon Center, where N said I'd been paralyzed by a wild Ekans. He had to take the illusion off me, first, though, so the nurse could heal me. She did, and then we got all of our Pokémon healed and left for the store. Not many people were around, so Zoroark put the illusion back over me just fine. Then N went into the store to get food and stuff, and I stayed outside to keep watch for anyone and warn him if Cipher came._

_They didn't, but… someone else did. A boy with spiky black hair sorta creeped out from around the corner. He… startled me… but I didn't go get N, since he was only around my age. He walked up, but stopped a little ways away from me. We just sorta looked at each other for a couple seconds. I was kinda nervous, but not as much as normal. He wasn't really scary, more like interesting. Anyway, he talked first._

"_You're under an illusion. I saw you. Why?"_

"_I… I d-don't know what you're t-talking about," I told him, surprising myself._

"_Pft, don't play dumb with me," he said. "I just said I __**saw**__ you. I wanna know why you're trying to hide. You keeping watch for your friend? How come?"_

"_I-I'm t-telling you, I d-don't know what your talking about. I-I'm just waiting on a f-friend."_

"_Do you always stutter this much, or just when you lie?" he said, kinda clever. "You'll regret trying to lie to me."_

"_R-really? I-I'm sure I will. You do look so intimidating," I told him. I was surprised that I wasn't more scared, but he just didn't scare me. His challenge sounded fun, more than anything. I… I still d-don't know why…_

_A-anyway, he didn't seem to like that much. Really quick, he grabbed one of his Pokéballs and threw it at me, and his Machop swung a chop at me. I jumped away, though, and immediately sent out Deino. I bit my lip, cause I realized his advantage, but at the same time I was glad that he seemed to be around my level. I also didn't have much of a better option, so I just called out my attack._

"_Dragon Rage, Dei!"_

"_Heh, Karate Chop, Machop," the boy said._

_Deino… took pretty heavy damage from the attack, but the Dragon Rage hurt Machop a lot, too. We both said "again" at the same time, but Machop was faster, and D-Deino just didn't stand much of a chance…_

_I knew Geodude would have been just as bad off, so I sent out Februa instead, even though he just knew Tackle. I realized after that that it probably wasn't a good idea, since Februa needed to be kept kinda secret, but… I don't know…_

_A-anyway, I just kept having Feb use Tackle. It didn't do a whole lot, but neither did Machop's attacks, since they were all Fighting. And since Dei had already hit him with Dragon Rage, Feb won out. He was kinda hurt by then, so I switched him out for Geodude when the trainer sent out a Sneasel._

"_Um, R-Rock Throws, Geodude!" I called out._

"_Screech, then Faint Attack, Sneasel," he yelled._

_S-so, Geodude shuddered from the S-Screech, but then he smacked the Sneasel back with a R-Rock Throw. The Faint Attack kinda hurt him, but he just sorta chuckled and hit the Sneasel with another Rock Throw that finished her off._

_I just kept Geo out, which was good, since he sent out a Starly next. I just told Geo to Rock Throw again, but Starly was too fast and got out of the way. Then he kept having her use Double Team, so getting a hit got even harder. Once there were a whole lot of doubles, he started telling her to use Wing Attacks, which didn't do very much, but there were a lot of them, a-and G-Geodude still couldn't hit. I realized that the Rock Throws just weren't working, so I had to think of s-something else._

"_G-Geodude! Use R-Rock Polish!"_

"_More Wing Attacks, Star," he said, and narrowed his eyes._

_S-so, Geodude kept taking the Wing Attacks and got his speed way up. Once I thought he'd be a match for Starly's speed, I changed move again._

"_N-now, T-Tackle until you f-find the real one!"_

_I watched all the birds really close when Geo attack them. He hit them all really quickly, like two per Wing Attack. Th-then, r-right when I saw a Starly move back when hit, I shouted the next move to Geodude._

"_Rock Throws! Quick, Rock Throws!"_

_He really quickly threw two rocks at the real Starly before it could scrambled around into the crowd of birds. The fake Starlies all faded when the real one fainted and was recalled._

"_Wh-what! How! How could you beat me!" he shouted, sounding actually surprised. "I've beaten way stronger trainers than you!"_

"_W-well maybe not smarter trainers, then?" I said, surprising myself again. "There's more to a battle than running in and smashing, you know."_

_He was quiet for a while after that. We just kinda stared at each other again. We were both thinking the same thing, how exhilarating the fight had been. He still looked bitter, but I could tell he had fun, too. I guess he'd been challenged._

"…_I'm Triton Nihilus. What's your name?"_

_I almost told him straight away. I kinda wanted to. But then I realized that I probably shouldn't say my name very much, being on the run and all._

"…_I don't think I can tell you," I said, trying to sound strong and sorry at the same time. He sniffed angrily, but didn't ask again, so I guess I managed it._

"_Well, at least let me see what you really look like," he ordered, and started walking over to me. Geodude was still out, though, and he growled at him to back off. Triton just sorta glared at him, but stopped walking._

"_I can't do that, either," I told him, stronger this time. It felt kinda nice to be in charge, for once._

"…_Don't you want to fight again?" he said after a second. I… sorta didn't know what to think… b-but then N came running out of the store before I could answer._

"_Claire!" he yelled, grabbing my arm, which made the illusion go away and gave Triton both my name and appearance. "Did you not hear my shouts? We have to go!"_

_I got one more glance at Triton, who was staring smugly at me, before N jumped onto Zekrom's back and took off. I-I'd never actually seen Zekrom before, so I was surprised at how really huge he was. I glanced back as we started to fly away, trying to see Triton again, but as soon as I did the P-Pokémart… e-exploded._

"_Cipher… agents… were looking for us in there…" N panted, while I stared at the smoke and fire in horror. I mean… horrible as it sounds, I'm k-kinda used to explosions now… but it was pretty s-scary that time… and I d-didn't know if T-Triton had been hurt or even lived…_

…_Um… A-anyway, I guess Z-Zekrom was hard to see in the dark, cause n-no one really followed us very good. We went to the… southwest, I think. I know we ended up in this cave that we're in right now. I saw the cave and pointed it out to N, and he landed there really quickly. We ran in, trying to catch our breaths, and I kneeled in a corner and prayed to Arceus that they wouldn't find us…_


	20. Chapter 18: Claire Thomas,Stealth Master

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 18: Claire Thomas, Stealth Master

…_Well, th-they didn't. F-find us, I mean. N-not then, anyway. We just s-stayed there for a while. N grabbed a lot of food and stuff after beating the C-Cipher peons in the store before he ran out, like enough to last us a really long time. So we just lived in this cave for another week or so. It was better this time, cause we could go out into the forest around here sometimes, but we didn't go very far. We wanted to wait for them to stop looking for us all around there._

_I guess… nothing really happened while we were just there. We kept living in the cave for a while, even after we decided it was safe to leave and went around Kanto. It was just a good safe place that was right in the middle of the region. So it was sorta our base, I guess, while we went to different cities to figure stuff out._

_I… k-kept kinda wanting to go home… just to see my d-dad and mommy… and let them know I'm okay… b-but I was worried… if C-Cipher figured out who my family is... they might hurt them or take them. I was especially worried about my mommy, 'cause she can see auras too, and I really didn't want C-Cipher to hurt her… N kept saying that we'd be okay if we used Zoroark's illusions, b-but… I was too scared… S-so I just stayed away…_

_Um… Anyway… N had already figured out that Cipher had taken over Silph Co, so we went to Saffron first. Well, we went to Cerulean and Pewter a few times before then, and Vermillion once, but we didn't do a whole lot or figure anything out. But the first important thing we did was at Saffron. The first time, we just looked around the city with Zoroark's illusion to find out about Cipher and Silph and everything. No one knew that Silph was owned by anyone else, but people were wondering why they stopped letting in visitors, even for tours with guards, and made Pokéballs kinda more expensive._

_The second time, we just watched the Silph building for people coming in and out. We planned to find people we could pretend to be with illusion, and sneak in, but it didn't exactly work out, 'cause no one ever walked with their Pokémon out. We were gonna try to think of a different plan, but then we overheard two people walking in._

"…_unless that Zoroark gets delivered soon. We'll need the illusion for-"_

_That's all we heard before they went in, but it was enough. We went back to the cave straight away, and came back early the next morning, when the guy delivering supplies had shown up the last day. When he showed up, Breloom snuck behind him and knocked him out with Spore. She and N hid him in an abandoned building, and then Zoroark made N look like him. I hid on the bottom of his cart thing, and Zoroark made me look like a box of raw apricorns. It was harder for him to make me look, like, not even human, but it was easier since he didn't have to disguise himself. After that we just walked in._

_No one talked to us for a while. We just walked through and used the guy's passkey to go up the elevator. Well, N and Zoroark walked, I just rode on the cart. Anyway, there weren't a whole lot of people around, since it was so early, so we were able to wander around for a little. N found a map on the third floor, and memorized it really quick, but just then someone saw us. I got really s-scared and felt for sure that she could hear my heart or breath… But she just asked what N was doing here, and N told her he hadn't been told where to deliver the Zoroark to. She said that Pokémon all went to the seventh floor, and started asking N questions about stuff. I k-kept getting more and more nervous, and I d-don't really remember what N said, but she eventually just grumbled and walked away._

_Y-you know, now that I think about it… I think she was Ariana. Her voice sounded like it, anyway. I didn't see her face._

_A-anyway, we went up to the elevator so she wouldn't f-find us again. N said on the way up that we were going to the top, where the Silph head was, to try to find some stuff out. He s-said he knew what he'd say if we were c-caught, so I just t-trusted him._

_The elevator stopped at floor nine, which was only the third-highest, and wouldn't go up. So N just got off there, and we ended up in a lounge sorta place. There were only two people there, the two Admins who went to Unova. Ardos and Eldes._

_The red one, the less angry one, got up first. Eldes. He motioned for Ardos to sit down and walked over to N._

"_Those are the apricorns for the V2 Shadow Balls? Going to top security, right, and you need up?" he said. N said yes, and I th-thought I saw what he was planning… It was kinda a s-scary plan… but we'd n-never get a chance like that again… So I hoped he was thinking what I was thinking._

_A-anyway, Eldes led us to another elevator and put his passkey in a slot thing. Then we went up to the next floor, which was just a tall thin room with a door. We walked through a Poké-detector, which scared me for a second, but it seemed like it was off. Eldes pressed in a code to go through the door, and scanned his thumb for another. Then we walked into a big room with a ton of boxes, and N kneeled down by me and whispered really quiet and quick._

"_You can get out to the top room from here. I'll pretend to push you and you slide off. I'll find a way to help you get out."_

"_What's that?" Eldes said, almost making me s-scream. I h-held it in, though, and whatever N said was good enough. Then I slid off the cart thing, making sure N didn't touch me and break the illusion. I suddenly got worried it'd break when I hit the ground, but it didn't, and I just sat there as another box._

"_All right, let's hope these work better than the V1's did," Eldes said as he and N walked away. "I'll let Lord Ein know they're here when he gets back, though that might be a few hours. His office is empty now. I can take that Zoroark off your hands, too, if you-"_

_That's all I heard before they closed the doors. I got really worried than N's cover would get blown, but, well, I guess it kinda worked out. Right then, anyway. Well… I don't know, really…_

_J-just, anyway, the illusion went away once Zoroark got too far. As soon as I heard the elevator go down, I got up and ran across the room. The doors just opened on the inside, I guess so no one would get trapped in. The elevator didn't need a passkey from that floor, either, and it just went up to floor eleven when I pressed the button. There was a passkey door down the hall from the elevator, but it was just open. It was… kinda scary… but the lights were off and it was all quiet and stuff, and Eldes said it was empty, so I just walked in._

_N-no one was in. I closed the door so I'd know if s-someone was about to come in, and then started looking around. There was a big painting behind the desk of a short-ish guy in dark robes, with his hand on the sea Pokémon Kyogre. He looked… mean. Like he wanted to hurt people. I guessed that it was Ein, the Shadow Lord._

_H-he had a bunch of p-papers on the desk… S-some were weird blueprints of things they were building on other floors… O-one l-looked like th-they were t-trying to make P-Pokéballs that Sh-Shadowed Pokémon immediately… A-and another thing l-looked like it went on your arm and m-made Pokéballs almost impossible to g-get out of… A-and other things I just d-didn't understand at all…_

_A-and then there were these r-reports… about this "P-Project Liepard"… where they hunted down a-and k-k-killed P-Pokémon they thought m-might help p-purify Shadows… They had stuff on Februa, but not much, b-but it was circled in red… A-and they'd already k-killed Celebi… and were still w-watching for it to appear again… you know, time travel… a-and they killed th-three Shaymin and were t-tracking two more… Oh White, they had pictures of dead Shaymin! J-just laying there… c-cover in b-blood… It was… horrible…_

…_A-and… they had r-reports about people, too… N's was at the t-top, and said he'd last been seen in Cerulean City, a-and to take him d-dead or alive. Mine was below, I think. It didn't have my name, b-but it said I was with N and possibly had a F-Februa. Th-they said to take me alive… There was one on this guy from Orre who m-made a machine to purify Shadows. P-Professor… something. I don't remember. But it said he was on the run after they destroyed his lab. A-and there were ones about two people who fought earlier Ciphers. They only had the name of the second one, but they knew where he was and were just watching him. They were still looking for the other one…_

_The l-last thing I found was a list of bases. It said that Silph was where they worked on building new things, and that they Sh-Shadowed Pokémon in a base in the northern mountains. C-Cinnabar was listed as their p-prison, and they just had a base for p-picking up Shadow Pokémon and stuff in Celadon. It had ones in other regions too, but I d-don't remember them… Actually, I think N should still have that list. I put it in my pocket, anyway, 'cause I thought it might help._

_B-but then, right when I got the list, the d-door started opening. I… got really really scared… I thought I was gonna die… But I just ran out through the door as soon as it opened. It was A-Ardos, but I barely saw him and just ran through his legs. I surprised him enough to get a head start, but he went after me really soon. His S-Scizor almost c-caught me… but G-Geodude and Dei broke out and attacked her. Not really a fight, but just enough to stall and surprise her. I called them back once I got into the elevator, and pressed the button to go down before Ardos or Scizor could get in._

_I just… I couldn't stop breathing really fast and light. I had no idea what was waiting on floor nine, but kept imagining the worst things… It seemed like it took forever to go down…_

_Um, but, N was there when it opened, not under an illusion anymore, but it he was fighting the guy from the painting. As soon as N saw me, he ran over and hit the other elevator button. Ein (I think) got distracted for a second when I showed up, which let Breloom take out his Altaria. N and me ran in while Ein got his next Pokémon out, and we managed to get away._

_I… barely noticed much of that. I was just… panicking… N said some things, but I don't remember what. All I remember is that the elevator suddenly stopped at floor seven. N had some of his Pokémon break the door open, and we ran out. A bunch of Cipher people ambushed us straight away, but N fought them all off as we ran down the hall. I think they were all just scientists and guards for the Pokémon, since N didn't seem to have much trouble. B-but, I just stayed close behind N, and I really barely noticed them._

_I was… mostly distracted by all the P-Pokémon… in the cages, I mean. Like, the whole hall was lined with lots and lots of Pokémon of all types. A lot were Shadow, but some weren't. I could tell they were s-starved… and the non-Shadow ones were r-really scared or s-sad… It made me start crying… I-it was s-so t-terrible…_

…_W-we got to the s-stairs eventually. It was easy to run after that. At s-some point, though, they stopped chasing us and th-threw Shadow Voltorbs down at us that used Selfdestruct. We ran fast enough to mostly be okay… I got a cut in my left leg from a piece of tile or something, but that was it. They threw an Electrode down that used Explosion instead once we got to floor one. It destroyed the last bit of stairs, so there was no way we could go back. We started across the room, but A-Ardos was there somehow, b-blocking the exit with his Alakazam._

"_You've chosen death, setting foot in here," he said. "Alakazam, Thunder Punch!"_

* * *

><p>White had to stop herself from interrupting Claire at numerous points in her story. She grew more and more worried about N every minute, and really wanted to get moving. She had allowed Claire to describe her first battle with Triton in detail, as the memory was clearly important to her. However, at this point she simply couldn't stop herself.<p>

"Uh, Claire?" she cut in. "Listen, I know you're into the story and all, but we really don't have time for you to describe an entire nother battle. Just, skip to the end of it."

"O-Oh… Okay…" Claire murmured, sounding a bit hurt. White chewed bitterly on her lip. "W-well, N won and we left. They chased us but we got here before they could follow."

"Awesome," White said somewhat dismissively. "Did N find out anything important? And is there anything else we should know before we go attack Cinnabar?"

"U-um…" Claire mumbled. "Yeah, N found out that they were using some kind of aura p-poison to make Shadow Pokémon. I guess it was from C-Carien and, um, Verborden. He also destroyed some stronger type of aura poison they were trying to make."

"Great," White half-sighed, hoping to avoid getting back into the story. "What about Cinnabar? What's it like?"

"I-it's, um, like, a p-prison…" Claire whispered. White let out an involuntary groan, and felt even worse than she already did when Claire looked up with a desperately apologetic expression.

"You tell quite a story, Claire," Will complimented, clearly attempting to undo White's emotional damage. "You do convey emotions marvelously."

"Um, White?" Bianca spoke up at the same time. "I think maybe you should just relax for a bit. Maybe I can talk to Claire?"

White nearly snapped that Bianca would have to know how to plan an attack, but swallowed the words. When Will whispered a few words of agreement, White sighed and sat down. Her weariness immediately overwhelmed her, and she found herself fading off fast. She tried to fight it for a moment, but soon realized she could not hope to win.

"Don't worry, dear White," Will assured. "We will have a plan to rescue your friends by the time you awaken."

"Yeah, just sleep! You'll need your rest if you're gonna be sneaking around and stuff!" Bianca insisted. "Don't worry, we'll wake you up if you sleep _too_ late."

_Don't worry_. Everyone kept saying that, but White was finding far more reasons _to_ worry, and relaxing was far easier said than done. She couldn't stop feeling guilty, though, and desperately wanted to calm herself enough to be kinder to Claire and, well, everyone. Yet, she deeply did not want to take the time to sleep. But she knew that it was in truth the best option, and, begrudgingly, allowed herself to fade away into unconsciousness.


	21. Chapter 19: Ninja Skills

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 19: Ninja Skills

The first thing N realized upon regaining consciousness was that his Pokémon were gone. The second thing he realized was that he was in a jail cell, and the third thing was that there were many other cells lining the hall outside his.

The first thing N felt was fear, deep and paralyzing, for his Pokémon. He knew not how long he had been unconscious. A few minutes? Hours? Days? What could Cipher have done to his Pokémon friends by now? Were they just being held in some warehouse, or had they been…?

The second thing he felt was an equally paralyzing sense of hopelessness. He was stuck in a cell with no Pokémon, and thus no means of escape. And if he couldn't escape, he couldn't do anything to save his friends. He was essentially helpless.

"Huh? Who're you?" a voice from behind N mumbled. N turned sharply around to find a short, unshaven man with lilac hair rubbing sleep from his eyes and stumbling out of the bed N had not woken up on. N was surprised out of speech for a moment, and the man spoke first.

"Oh, shit. Fuck fuck fuck. You're a new cellmate. Oh fuck what'd they do to Nick?"

The man buried his face in his hands, shaking his head and muttering obscenities. N could not think of what to say, and was not even sure he understood what was going on.

"I… apologize?" N said tentatively. The man looked up suddenly, and for a moment seemed about to attack N, but then sighed and collapsed back onto his bed.

"Arceus… Bah, don't worry bout it. 's not your fault. But damn… I was really startin' to like that kid…"

N said nothing, still confused and concerned about many different things. The man again was the first to speak.

"Whelp, we're gonna be in 'ere together for a while. Hopefully. Alternative's way worse. Anyway, the name's Petrel. You mighta heard of me."

"I… can't say that I have," N replied. "I'm N. N Harmonia."

Petrel's eyes grew wide, and he made an odd motion with his hands. N did not know what to make of this, but Petrel soon elaborated.

"Well. Shit. We're all fucked now."

"…I'm sorry?" N said, further confused. "What do you mean?"

"Dude, you're like a legend in here! Everyone's always talkin' bout N Harmonia, how he's been fightin' Cipher and is gonna break us all out, 'ventually. But damn, they finally got ya. They get your sidekick too?"

"Um… My what?" N asked. Petrel shook his head slightly before going on.

"Your sidekick! Y'know, that girl you travel 'round with. No one seems to know her name. She's the one who can get rid of Shadow Pokémon, or somethin'. I dunno. Is that part made-up?"

"Oh! You mean Claire!" N exclaimed, glad to be making some progress. "No, not quite. She can identify Shadow Pokémon by sensing auras. She has a Pokémon capable of then purifying them. But no, they did not get her. At least, as far as I am aware. She fled with some of my other friends."

"That's crazy shit, man," Petrel said, shaking his head again. "Man, I gotta tell ya, it's kinda disheartenin' to know they got ya. It was nice thinkin' there was someone out there, someone they could never catch who was always fightin' 'em. You said you got friends though? Maybe they'll keep on fightin'?"

"I know she will," N said softly, almost without realizing it. "I mean… They all will."

"Well that's good," Petrel nodded. "You wanna know why they got me?"

"I suppose so," N shrugged.

"Well, see, listen to this, and don't be judgin' me now. I used to be a Team Rocket Executive, back when Team Rocket was, y'know, a thing. S'pose you can't exactly be judgin' now, seeing how you used to be the Team Plasma Emperor, or somethin'."

"Wait… how did you know that?" N interrupted, caught of guard.

"Well that's what Cipher's been telling everyone, inn'it? See, that's not how I found out though. See, some of my fellow old Rockets kept up with me, and some of 'em were lookin' for another team to join. Kept tellin' me bout anythin' they'd find out. I always told 'em I wasn't interested; told 'em 'Giovanni's the only leader for me. I ain't joinin' any team other than Team Rocket.' See, they kept tellin' me anyways, and they 'ventually got round to your Team Plasma. That's where I first heard bout ya."

"I see," N said, somewhat distracted. He had been surprised that Cipher had specifically cited him as the former Team Plasma King, not merely a terrorist. He supposed that, as these regions were likely unfamiliar with Team Plasma, this worked conveniently for them. Also, as he was unfamiliar with Team Rocket, N was not able to follow everything Petrel said, and thoughts of his Pokémon kept surfacing.

"Hey, you know what else, though?" Petrel suddenly said. "I thought bout you once, after Cipher came calling. I was layin' incognito, right, down in Fuchsia, and I thought 'Hey, I bet that N Plasma guy wouldn't like these Cipher guys too much. I bet Plasma'd have a big grudge match with Cipher if it's still around.' Then I heard bout you fightin' 'em, and I jumped up and thought 'I knew it! Hey, I knew he'd be fightin' 'em!' I take it you don't have Team Plasma any more, though, huh?"

"…I do not," N sighed. He had wondered, on numerous occasions, how much easier this all would have been if he were still the King of Team Plasma. Truthfully, he knew not whether he wished he were, and generally avoided dwelling on it.

"Oh, but anyways!" Petrel spoke up. "I was sayin' what they got me for. See, they went looking after all the old Rocket Executives. Me, Ariana, Proton, and Archer. I hear they went after Giovanni too, but they ain't gonna find him, and they'll be sorry if they do. Ariana and Proton, though, they jumped right on 'em. They're greedy bastards, real mean and power-hungry. Hurt to seem 'em go like that, and have to see how they really are. I always thought them friends. Archer, though, bless him, he went out in a blaze of glory…"

Here Petrel stopped, sniffed slightly, and rubbed his eyes. N felt sorry for the little man.

"Damn it, we were both there, they had us sorta cornered, all up in the mountains, Ariana leadin' 'em, and they offered us the job. 'Hell no,' we both said, 'We're loyal to Giovanni and Giovanni only. You oughta be to, Ari.' Well, these Cipher guys, they don't take no for an answer. S'pose I can't blame 'em, really, but… Damn it, man, Archer took 'em all on, told me to run, and I was scared man, I was so scared. I just couldn't fight Ariana. She used to be like my sister, man, and now she's… But I did it, I just ran, I just ditched my last real friend in the world. I looked back just in time to see her Arbok crunch Archer's throat, and… Fuck, man, I couldn't… I just flew away, flew away with my Crobat, and ran and hid…"

The former Rocket Executive finally broke into sobs here. N thought that he had never seen a man so filled with regret, and instinctively reached out and hugged him. Petrel did not hug back, but did not pull away either.

"I am… very sorry," N said, feeling rather unhelpful.

"Aww, how _touching_," came a high, mocking voice. "Did you find another shoulder to cry on, Petrel?"

N suddenly found himself falling back, and when he looked up he saw Petrel gripping the cell bars madly, glaring at Ariana, who stood beyond the door.

"Ariana, please!" Petrel cried. "You gotta let me out, you just gotta. We were friends, damn it!"

"Oh, _this_ again," Ariana criticized. "You know what you need to do to get out, Petrel. The offer's always on the table."

"I won't do it!" Petrel protested. "Ariana, what happened to our promises to Giovanni? Huh? Damn it, he was your fuckin' _husband_. I thought you loved 'im!"

"_Loved _him?" Ariana incredulously laughed. "Your naïveté never stops surprising me, Petrel. I loved his power. I loved _Team Rocket's_ power. But that's over now. Cipher is rising, far above anything Team Rocket could ever have been. If Giovanni ever shows his face again, unless he's smart enough to join us, then my Shadow Arbok will tear his throat out! _That's _my promise to Giovanni."

"Fuck you!" Petrel screamed, punching the bars. "You're an evil bitch! You're a fucking _monster_! Get the fuck away from me!"

"Oh, how your words hurt me, Petrel," Ariana sighed dramatically. "But I'm not even here for you. Get back. Harmonia! Come with me."

N merely blinked at being addressed. The sheer emotion of the former Executives' conversation had rendered him temporarily immobile. When the cell door came rattling open, he leapt up abruptly, and dropped his hand to where Zoroark's Pokéball should have been. By the time his mind had fully caught up with his place and time, Petrel had been knocked back, and Ariana was approaching N.

"I said, come with _me_," she hissed, seizing N's wrist and dragging him from the cell. N glanced back at Petrel sitting on his bed sadly as the door clattered shut, until Ariana had dragged him too far away. He then looked around at all the other cells, attempting to find a familiar face. He just barely caught sight of Cheren and Silver in a cell together before Ariana abruptly yanked him to the side and into an empty cell.

"Sit," she commanded, and, not waiting for a response, pushed N onto the sole chair in the room. Energy cuffs immediately bound N's arms and legs. Ariana smirked slightly before turning and calling out the door.

"Bring them in now, dear."

A Cipher peon walked into the door, handed Ariana a bag wordlessly, and briskly walked out. At this point, N realized how visible the cell was to the other prisoners. Ariana clearly wanted to make an example of him, to tear down a symbol of hope the prisoners had clung to. The Cipher Admin then turned slowly to N, now grinning widely.

"Right, now, N darling, I'm going to try to do this the easy way first. Where are your friends hiding?"

N almost immediately said, truthfully, that he had no idea, but he suddenly remembered the only cave they had hidden at that had never been discovered, the one they had first stayed in after Mount Moon, and knew for certain that Claire would have told White and Bianca to hide there.

"…I have no idea," he said impassively after a moment. Ariana giggled softly and shook her head.

"N, dear, I'm no idiot. Of the three who escaped, two have never been to Kanto before. The other has been your traveling partner for the past few months. You know ever hiding place that she does, and you know which one she would have chosen. If I had any doubts of this, you expression and pause just now swept them away. Now, would you _kindly_ tell me where they are."

"I do not know," N insisted, somewhat bitterly. He began mentally bracing himself for whatever tortures Ariana would inflict on him. He only knew that no amount of pain would pry his friends' location from him.

"Tsk tsk. Fine then, have it your way," Ariana said, snapping her fingers. Immediately, a band of energy like those binding him wrapped across N's mouth, rendering completely incapable of breathing except through his nose. Ariana then reached into the bag, idly rustled around in it, and made a mildly curious noise as she withdrew a Pokéball from it. She let the bag fall, and held the Pokéball up, eying it with polite interest. N thought he knew what was to come, but desperately prayed to be wrong.

"Hmm, now I wonder what could be in this," she simpered, before clicking the Pokéball open. To N's horror, Carracosta appeared at Ariana's feet. Before his friend had a chance to find out where he was, Ariana's Arbok and Vileplume were on either side of him.

"Crunch," Ariana said with notable relish. The giant serpent bit Carracosta fiercely, but the attack did little beyond anger him. He made to attack, but Ariana laughed.

"Ice Fang. Poison Powder."

Arbok again savagely gnawed N's prototurtle Pokémon, this time with frigid fangs. Frost surrounded Carracosta's bleeding wounds. He made to dash at the snake, but a venomous purple cloud descended on him, visibly searing his gashes and wracking him with pain. N's blood froze as he stared at his injured friend with eyes wide with horror. He attempted to call out attacks for his friend, but the energy band over his mouth kept him from making a sound.

"Bind it," Ariana said, smiling widely, and the Arbok wrapped herself around Carracosta, who finally turned his tired eyes to N, and looked for a moment surprised.

"Are you going to tell us where your friends are yet, dear N?"

N's mind was racing to nowhere fast. He knew he couldn't betray Claire's location to them, but he didn't know if he would be able to mentally withstand watching his friend be slowly and brutally murdered.

"No? Sad," Ariana sighed when N showed no signs of trying to speak. "Mud Bomb! Venoshock!"

The Arbok swiftly smashed Carracosta against the wall, quickly followed by a powerful blast of mud. The weakened turtle fell to the ground motionless, until the Vileplume drenched him in a sizzling violet liquid that caused him to writhe and twitch. N felt his own muscles begin to twinge as well, his brain almost shut down.

"That poor, poor Carracosta," Ariana mockingly sniveled. "I don't think he can take much more damage. Won't you save him, N? Just tell me where they are."

"N…" Carracosta whispered. "Better… not… tell…"

N felt his heart shatter, yet at the same time made up his mind. He knew what he had to do. It was what White would have done. It was what Carracosta wanted. It was what was best for everyone. It was the right thing to do.

But it was a truth N had to force himself to face.

"All right, well, if he means that little to you…" Ariana said, her mouth spreading into a positively wicked grin. "Giga Drain!"

The Vileplume sucked the vitality from the turtle in a flash of green light, causing him to completely collapse. He moved just barely, with the shallowest breathing imaginable. N found himself practically wishing that his friend's pain would just finally stop.

Ariana looked down at the pathetic, mutilated prototurtle Pokémon, sadistic pleasure gleaming in her eyes, before whispering her last command: "_Crunch_."

The Arbok shattered his shell with her jagged fangs, and the last bit of life faded from Carracosta's eyes. N knew, with one of those jagged fangs imbedded in his heart, that his second-oldest friend had left him.

"How about we let you think about what you've done," Ariana scolded. "Take him away."

* * *

><p>Janine snickered to herself as she huddled over her small glass bottles with her back to the cell door, carefully collecting the last few bits of Sleep Powder off of her clothes. She had enough to fill the bottle that had contained the Sleep Powder antidote she had just used about three-fourths of the way. Once she was confident that she had every speck of the heavy green dust, she slipped the bottle into one of her hidden pockets, just beside the passkey she had stolen from a grunt while pretending to have succumbed to the Sleep Powder, and chuckled again.<p>

"_Sleep Powder,"_ she laughed in her head. _"Against the Poison Gym Leader. They aren't exactly top scientists."_

Even more surprising than their foolish attacks was their audacity to arrest her. She was the Gym Leader of Fuchsia! The whole city was surely in an uproar over her arrest. What's more was that her father was a member of the Indigo Elite Four. The second he got wind of this, he would storm down to the prison and demand she be released; assuming, of course, that she hadn't gotten out on her own by then. There was really no way they could keep her there, and the second she got out she was going to run to her father and tell him all about Cipher. Once he knew, he'd tell the rest of the Elite Four and the Champion, and then Cipher wouldn't stand a chance.

Reassuring herself with these thoughts, she made a quick count of her bottles: she had the Sleep Powder she had just collected, a general-purpose antidote, an anti-paralytic, some Toxic liquid, and one empty bottle. The Sleep Powder, if used properly, would be enough to knock out five adults, and the Toxic could incapacitate sixty. Sure, they'd taken her Pokémon, but she was still more than sufficiently armed. She was, after all, a ninja.

Escape was no longer an issue. She could have already escaped, if she wanted to. What held her back, however, was her friends and Pokémon. She hardly wanted to leave Silver and N in a prison cell, and was just as happy to leave her Pokémon in the care of these Cipher agents. Though she had seen the location of her friend's cells as she had be taken to her own (pretending to be unconscious), they were a good ways away, and she had no idea where their Pokémon had been taken. She thought that she might be able to locate them, but doing so would likely deplete her resources, and, if she failed to recover them, escape would be incredibly difficult. It would be a risky gamble, but perhaps…

"Hey, uh, Leader Doku?" a voice called out. Janine flinched slightly, but stopped herself enough to pass it off as mere surprise, and turned to face the door. A woman in a black armor-like suit, with a helmet and an ornate "C" logo on the chest was standing in the doorway. Janine assumed this to be the official Cipher peon uniform. What surprised her more, though, was the politeness in the peon's voice.

"What do you want?" Janine asked, suspicious.

"Ah, Admin Ariana wants to see you soon. She asked me to fetch you."

"Fetch me? So you're her dog, and I'm some newspaper she wants to read? What's she want with me, anyway?"

"…I don't know," the peon said, more stiffly. "She just told me to get you. This way, _please_."

She then took hold of Janine's wrist, and began dragging her from the cell. Janine quickly threw her off.

"I can walk just fine on my own, thanks," she said bitterly. The peon glared at her for a moment before stepping behind her.

"Very well. Walk. I'll tell you when to turn."

Janine almost regretted her cheek, as she liked having a known enemy behind her back even less than being dragged. However, she still was still glad that she'd shown that she wasn't afraid of them. Listening closely to the peon's movements, she began to walk down the cell-lined hall. She began to edge to the side once she knew that the cell that Silver and N's friend (whose name she couldn't remember) were in was approaching. She stuck her hands in her pockets, attempting to subtly pour some of the Sleep Powder in the empty bottle without removing them, in hopes of giving some to Silver and the other guy to use. Just as she reached their cell, however, desperately hoping to conceive of a way to distract the peon, she was ordered to stop.

"Wait here," the peon ordered. "Ariana is in that cell. She is still speaking with her previous guest."

Janine leaned against the door of Silver's cell as the peon spoke. The second the guard looked away, she knelt down, slid the bottle with half of the Sleep Powder into the cell, and stood back up without turning around or speaking. She heard one of them pick up the bottle, and then heard Silver whisper right behind her.

"Janine-" he began, but the other guy interrupted him.

"_Don't talk_," he frantically hissed. "They can't know we got that."

"I just need to-" Silver threw back, but Janine was distracted by N suddenly appearing from the cell the peon had indicated. Seized by an impulse, she emptied enough Sleep Powder for one person into her pocket and rushed at N.

"N!" she shouted, her friend's expression momentarily driving her mission from her mind. She couldn't imagine a more defeated-looking person. "What'd they do to you?"

"T… t-tortured… killed… Pokémon…" he managed to get out. Janine quickly hugged him, hoping it would appear to be nothing but sympathy, and slipped the bottle with the remaining Sleep Powder into N's pocket. Hoping her friends would be able to make use of the sedative, she allowed herself to be pushed away by the guard leading N away. She then made to walk into the cell, but Ariana abruptly appeared in the doorway, holding a bag and a Pokéball.

"Ah, Janine Doku!" Ariana cried happily, putting the Pokéball in the bag. "You're here earlier than I expected. But this cell is no place to talk; let's go to my office."

Janine watched Ariana closely as she grabbed a Pokéball from her belt and sent out a Deoxys. Janine had just enough time to be surprised before the DNA Pokémon wrapped its tentacles around her and Ariana's arms and teleported them away with a soft bleep.

They were suddenly in an office, presumably Ariana's. Janine looked around and saw from the open door that the office was positioned at one end of the long prison hall on the upper floor before Ariana pushed the door closed and recalled her Deoxys. Janine's mind raced quickly as she watched Ariana's actions. She reattached the Deoxys's Pokéball to her belt, which meant that her own Pokémon were kept there, not in the bag. Given that the Cipher Admin had evidently tortured N's Pokémon in an attempt to coerce him, Janine reasoned that the bag likely contained her own Pokémon, in case she proved to be uncooperative.

"Now, Janine," Ariana said, with an almost motherly tone, as she set the bag down and sat at her desk. "I really must apologize again for all of this. I think that this is all just a big misunderstanding. Please, just let me know whatever nasty lies that N has told you, and I can let you know how things really are. Once I know you aren't still misinformed, I can let you get back to your gym. You see-"

"How am I supposed to do that," Janine interrupted, growing angry, "when you just _blew it up_?"

"See, Janine," Ariana sighed, shaking her head. "That's exactly the kind of nonsense I need to sweep from your mind. N Harmonia has already been known to attack buildings with explosives. He'll say anything to make himself seem innocent and put the blame on others. He's a nasty liar, and you really can't be blamed for him deceiving you. But he's the one who blew up your gym! Not the Kanto police! That's positively silly to imagine!"

"I _know_ N," Janine growled. "He's my friend. I also know _you_, and your whole Cipher thing, and know not to trust you. You aren't getting anywhere with this."

"You are _very_ loyal _very _quickly, Janine," Ariana half-laughed. "Which can be good. But in cases like this, it can also be very bad. How much do you even know about this N? How can you know that he's telling you the truth?"

"He's got friends backing him up!" Janine shouted. "Everything he says matches up with everything you've done! Silver told us that he saw you guys putting up the Electrodes! And you are just evil!"

"Janine, I really think you should-" Ariana began, but Janine cut her off, burying her hands in her pockets.

"And guess what! You've screwed up big time here. I'm a Gym Leader! You know what that means? And my dad's an Elite Four! As soon as I get out, I'm gonna tell him all about you and your Cipher, and once the whole League knows you're all screwed! And guess what else!"

Ariana clicked a Pokéball and sent out her Arbok at her side here, but before she could say anything Janine withdrew her hands, with a fistful of Sleep Powder, and threw it into Ariana's face. The Cipher Admin blinked dazedly, mutter a few incomprehensible words, before collapsing.

"I'm gonna get out!"

Janine held Ariana's head up and struck her face with her palm for good measure, before seizing the bag containing her own Pokémon and running out through the door. To her surprise, the Arbok did absolutely nothing, and she ran from the office unopposed.

At first, no one noticed her, or seemed at all aware that anything had happened to Ariana. She began running down the hall's upper floor, opting for speed given the lack of any places to hide. She hastily dipped each of her fingers in her Toxic liquid, to which she was had long ago built up an immunity, not wanting to rely on Pokémon which may or may not have even been conscious. She encountered a handful of guards, but quickly leapt up and struck their throats with her venomous fingertips, incapacitating them shortly.

By the time she was about halfway down the hall, however, an alarm sounded, and many more peons began pouring into the long room's upper floor. The ninja girl sprinted on, poisoning peons as she went, until there were simply too many for her to take. She then immediately vaulted over the railing and hit the first floor running. She was quick enough to avoid or poison most guards or their Pokémon on the lower floor. Finally reaching the end, she hastily unlocked the door with the passkey she had stolen, and rushed outside.

The building was, of course, immediately surrounded by high concrete walls topped with barbed wire, with no visible door. Desperate not to fail when escape was so close, Janine grabbed a Pokéball from the bag, hoping fervently that it would contain her Crobat, fully conscious and ready to fly away.

It did not contain her Crobat, nor, to her horror, did it contain any of her Pokémon. It did, however, contain a Pokémon who was fully conscious and ready to fly away: a fluffy female Altaria, who looked around confusedly and let out an inquisitive cry. Janine groaned as she saw guards approaching her from either side, and heard the door behind her shaking.

"Okay, look," she said rapidly to the Altaria. "We both wanna get out of here. Trust me, you do. Are you N's?"

The instant the Altaria nodded, Janine pressed on hurriedly.

"Good, I'm a friend of his. He's trapped in here, but we can't get him out. If we leave though we can get help, so let's go now!"

Janine did not wait for the Altaria's answer, but jumped straight on her back. Fortunately, the Pokémon seemed to understand, for she took off into the sky just before a few Houndour would've reached her. Janine glanced back at the peons, who were angrily shouting, and laughed loudly. They seemed to lack Flying-types, and would have to find someone else to pursue her. Feeling nothing but elation at her escape, Janine turned forward, whispered a word of thanks to N's Altaria, and looked onward, towards freedom.


	22. Chapter 20: Cinnabar Assault

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 20: Cinnabar Assault

"_That's_ seriously your plan?" White criticized upon hearing Will's long-winded description of nothing. "Basically, run in and smash stuff?"

"The simpler the plan, the less potential for failure," Will said, making White roll her eyes. "Additionally, this gives us a convenient backup plan, in that we can allow ourselves to be captured."

"And that's good _how_?" White asked contemptuously.

"It will allow us to orchestrate a breakout from within," Will said, as though explaining something very obvious.

"And how will we do that if they take our Pokémon?"

"I would think it best to keep them from doing so," Will said, sounding puzzled at the question.

"Well good luck with that," White snorted. "Me and Bianca and Claire are just gonna run if we start losing."

"If you think that wiser," Will said, bowing slightly. "Shall we go, then?"

"Yes!" White exclaimed, sick of waiting. "Unfezant, come over here! B needs you!"

Cheren's Unfezant disdainfully stepped back into the cave after a few seconds, and threw White a bitter look before approaching Bianca. White just sighed a bit irritably before stepping outside and sending out Reshiram. She reached back without turning and took Claire's hand, quickly scaling her yang dragon's back. She took off immediately, hoping that Bianca and Will would be able to follow.

They did, though Unfezant and Will's Xatu had to fly quickly to catch up. White's anxiety continually built up as they soared across the early morning sky in the direction Claire indicated, so much that she jumped at a caw from a wild Wingull. N and Cheren had been captured more than long enough for Ariana to have cooked up some terrible tortures to inflict on them. It had already crossed her mind that they might not be able to retrieve the prisoners' Pokémon, which would be very hard for all of them, N in particular. She hoped it did not come to that.

"_Stop acting like an Arceus-damned child!"_

Her last words to N kept resurfacing in her mind, driving her to the edge of tears. She desperately needed to find him, to tell him how sorry she was, to come up with some way to make it up to him. The guilt would, until then, weigh her down even further. She had no idea how she could possibly begin to make up for being so cruel.

All she knew, though, was that she absolutely needed all her friends back if she was going to stand any chance of stopping Cipher. Though she always took on as much as she could possibly handle, she could not deny that she was currently carrying far too much. She just needed to not feel so hopelessly alone…

Finally, after far too long, she saw in the dim starlight the sole mountain sticking out of the ocean that she presumed to be Cinnabar. A huge building seemed to take up most of the southern half of the island. From towers at the edge several searchlights circled around the water and air. If White could just go around them until she reached the fortress's walls…

"Stop right there! Land on the ground and put your Pokémon away!"

"Damn it," White whispered, before noticing Claire's scared expression. "Don't worry, Claire, I got this."

She directed Reshiram sharply upward, telling him to Dragon Pulse any attackers that got near. As soon as the spotlight caught up with her, she whispered for Claire to not worry, and jumped off of Reshiram's back. As she had hoped, the spotlight stayed on the giant Tao dragon, which allowed White and Archeops to slip forward unnoticed.

"This is your last warning! Land now and recall your Pokémon, or you will be forcibly detained!"

A swarm of aerial agents then rushed out of the towers at Reshiram, but completely overlooked White. She had lost track of Bianca and Will, but, given that all the attackers were headed for Reshiram, she assumed they had not been seen either.

As far as White knew, no one noticed her until she and Archeops were smashing into the watch tower. They sent out their Pokémon in a panic, but Excadrill summoned a sandstorm in the small room that blinded the guards as she and Archeops took out their Pokémon. White had Excadrill hold the guards there as she ran onto wall that connected each tower, surrounding the prison. Several guards from the tower at the other end rushed out to meet her, but were all suddenly thrown off the edge by an invisible force just before Will and his Xatu landed. Will bowed quite unnecessarily to White as he sent out his Gardevoir to Charge Beam a few attacking Skarmory riders.

"Doing well?" he asked politely.

"Yeah, sure," White said distractedly, sweeping across the sky with her eyes. Reshiram was taking longer to get to the prison walls than she had hoped, and was stopped a good ways off trying to fend off a flock of flying foes. She bit her lip as she thought of Claire, and after a moment jumped off the wall and onto Archeops's back.

She called out to Reshiram before she reached him, identifying his opponents as Golbats and telling him to use Extrasensory. This served to also distract the Golbat riders, allowing them to be thrown from the air much more easily. White sighed bitterly at the thought of their frightening deaths, but knew there was no other way. Once she and Archeops had helped finish off the wave, they all sped back to the wall, which Will and Bianca were now defending, and quickly landed. White helped Claire off of Reshiram's back and recalled him, using Archeops and Excadrill to fight off the wave of Flying-types.

"Enough!" White shouted between two waves, preemptively recalling Excadrill. "Let's just get down to the prison!"

Bianca and Will were surprisingly quick to obey, almost immediately jumping off the other side of the wall on their Flying-types. White glanced over to Claire, and was shocked to see that she had not yet sent out a single Pokémon. Instead, she was pressed tightly up against the brick wall at the edge, crouched so her head did not rise above it, positively shaking with terror. White had no idea what could be making her so badly frightened, but didn't think that stopping to ask at that moment would be the best idea, and instead just grabbed hold of Claire and leapt off the wall with Archeops. Her ancient bird, while not able to carry two people over long distances, was more than capable of bringing both White and Claire safely to the ground.

The space between the outer wall and the actual prison wasn't quite cramped, but could hardly have been called spacious either. There were no guards there, which White found more disconcerting than anything else. Not wanting Archeops to get injured before their escape, White switched her out for Zebstrika. Wasting no time, White took hold of Claire's hand as she and Zebstrika sprinted alongside Bianca and her Stoutland and Will and his Gardevoir.

As soon as they got about halfway to the door, the purpose behind the lack of guards revealed itself. The door was literally torn from its frame, nearly taking White's head off as it soared across the courtyard, and a gigantic Slaking came bounding from the complete darkness of the inside of the prison. It shrieked piercingly as it stood tall, but White thought there was something hollow about its cry.

"Claire, is it?" she asked quickly.

"Yes," Claire said, barely audibly.

"So, you've finally arrived," a familiar raspy voice growled with anger. "He said you would."

Then, another terrible figure emerged from the darkness, and White nearly gasped at the sight of it. It was the Cipher Admin Ardos; his blue hair and eyes made him unmistakable. However, his face and hands, and presumably the rest of his body, were all charred and melted. White had vaguely acknowledged this when her Zebstrika had electrocuted him, but in the intensity of that battle she had not looked at him very closely. Now that she saw him in detail, she almost felt sorry for having inflicted such severe wounds on him. Almost, but not quite.

"See what you did to me?" he snarled bitterly. "And that Zebstrika. That's the one that did it. Well, now I'll be returning the favor! Slaking, Fling! Hammer Arm! Earthquake!"

"Wild Charge!" White immediately yelled.

"Um, Return!" Bianca followed.

"Gardevoir, Focus Blast!" Will sang with excessive hand motions.

Before Will's Gardevoir could even begin charging her hadoken, however, the Slaking tore a chunk of concrete from the prison wall and Flung it at her. Bianca's Stoutland hit it with a mighty tackle, but the giant ape seemed to barely notice, and smashed the Stoutland with a heavy Hammer Arm. White thought that Zebstrika's Wild Charge dealt a decent enough amount of damage to it, but the Slaking immediately pounded the ground, generating a violet Earthquake that took out the Thunderbolt Pokémon and threw all four trainers to the ground. Ardos chuckled darkly as each Pokémon was taken out, with particular glee at Zebstrika.

"Rescue the others!" Will cried as he produced two Pokéballs. "I will slay the beast!"

"Great!" White shouted, sending out Leavanny and dragging Bianca and Claire. "Leavanny, Protect!"

"No! Slaking, stop them!" Ardos shrieked rather madly. The Shadow Slaking threw a savage punch at Bianca, but Leavanny dove in the way and generated a blue barrier that deflected the attack. It made to throw another, but Will's shout cut it off.

"Victini! V-Create!"

White was admittedly both surprised and impressed as Will's shiny Victini charged at the massive gorilla with a blazing headbutt that actually threw the Slaking off of its feet. Ardos screamed angrily at the ape to get back up and crush them all. White almost wanted to stay and watch the battle, but knew she had precious little time to spare, and, just as the Slaking leapt back up, she led Claire and Bianca into the pitch-black prison.

"Be careful, guys," White murmured, as they entered the unlit prison. The moment she spoke, a slamming noise echoed from behind them, and the light from the doorway was cut off, leaving them in perfect darkness. White felt Claire suddenly cling to her leg tightly, breathing rapidly. White herself was rather unsettled.

"Send out Emboar, B," White whispered. "And… you better send out Reinigen, Claire." White herself kept out Leavanny for her useful Protect. Emboar was needed to provide light, and White merely thought that Reinigen would help lessen Claire's fear.

The light of Emboar's beard of flames in fact did little more than illuminate the area directly around the three trainers, even when supplemented by Reinigen's pearly glow. Claire managed to let go of White's leg and instead clung to Reinigen, allowing them to proceed forward cautiously. White began to wonder how they would ever find N or Cheren or anyone in this huge, dark place.

"So, you've come," a cold, smooth voice called out, eliciting a scream from Bianca. The three trainers and their Pokémon drew abruptly closer together, as a single light at the end of the long room came on, revealing a tall man with long green hair who made White's rage immediately boil.

"White Shirkuro," Ghetsis said evenly, facing away from them. "We meet again. And Bianca Alba as well. And you must be the elusive girl who can sense the auras that surround living beings. Claire, I am told your name is."

White desperately wanted to attack the monster that stood before her, but something held her back. Perhaps it was fear, perhaps it was instinct, perhaps it was concern for her friends, or perhaps it was all of those and more. Regardless, she stayed where she was, watching the despicable being at the end of the hall closely.

"Funny," Ghetsis said after a moment. "No one has really been able to figure out who exactly you are. That your first name is 'Claire' was only a recent discovery."

White felt Claire inch slightly closer to her. White already didn't like where Ghetsis was going.

"Yet, I think they were merely looking in all the wrong places. For instance, I have already happened across a newspaper advertisement by some concerned parents that one 'Claire Thomas' has gone missing, and to contact them in Pallet Town with any information on her whereabouts. Isn't that funny?"

White thought that she would be surprised if the Shadow Lord could not feel the sheer malice with which she was staring at him as he paused for a moment.

"…And now, it seems that I _do_ have information on her whereabouts. Naturally, I should, ah, send word to them. I have plenty of agents willing to do that job."

Claire let out a soft sob at this, no doubt catching Ghetsis's implication. White knew that that had been one of her worst fears: that her parents would be targeted because of her. White quickly decided she'd had enough of being silent, and shouted across the room.

"Okay, first of all? Fuck you! Second? Tell me where N is _now_, and Cheren too, or I will beat the living shit out of you. I've done it before, remember?"

Here, the tall Shadow Lord finally turned around. His black-and-purple robes fluttered slightly, and his mechanical red eye glinted maliciously. Just as he finished, holding his arms out, the light behind him came on, revealing his towering Hydreigon, which glared down at them coldly.

"What did you think of my Shadow Slaking?" he asked, smiling slightly. "True, it was under Ardos's command, rather than mine, yet you could see its sheer power, could you not?"

"Quit stalling!" White shouted. "Answer me!"

"Because," Ghetsis interrupted, holding a hand up as his smile grew slightly wider. "Each of my Pokémon is just as powerful. I do not think you want to seek a battle."

White made an incensed noise, but was in truth a bit intimidated. As much as she would have wanted to think otherwise, if Ghetsis did in fact have five other Pokémon that powerful, she knew she was outmatched.

"D-did the Shadow Triad tell you where we were?" Bianca asked suddenly, sounding much braver than White had expected. She suspected that the question was just what jumped to Bianca's mind first, but mentally applauded her for saying it.

"Hm. Of course not," Ghetsis said scathingly. "They said they wouldn't, did they not? More to the point, it did not matter where you were hidden. I knew that I only had to wait, and you would come to me."

"Well what do you want with us, then?" White spat.

"To talk, Ghetsis replied simply.

"What was with the Shadow Slaking that nearly killed us, then, huh?" White snorted with disbelief.

"To preoccupy Will," Ghetsis answered. "You see, the Shadow Triad _did _report to me that he had intervened on your behalf. It was not something I had counted on. Knowing Will's nature, I knew that he would insist on aiding you. I did not want him here while we spoke. Also knowing his nature, I knew that he would battle my Slaking alone to allow you to proceed."

"How do you know Will?" Bianca spoke up again, still with a tone of refusing to be afraid.

"Irrelevant," Ghetsis answered. "Now, enough idle chat. We must move on to the reason I arranged this meeting. You must go to the Sinnoh region."

"I- what?" White spluttered, taken incredibly off guard.

"You must go to Sinnoh," Ghetsis repeated. "Cipher's next takeover will be of that region. As we speak, it is being orchestrated. If you do not go there soon, it will be lost."

"But… What are you telling us for?" White asked, confused and suspicious.

"You wish to stop Cipher, do you not?" Ghetsis asked, with a politely perplexed tone. "If so, you must go to the Sinnoh region."

"Okay, that's enough!" White shouted, her patience worn thin. "Tell us where they all are _now_, or we'll just start breaking cells open!"

"Where your friends are? Why don't you see for yourself?"

With that, Ghetsis clapped his hands, and each of the lights in the prison came on with a loud crashing noise, revealing every cell in the massive building to be empty. White's mouth fell involuntarily open as she glanced between the two floors, across each cell, only to see that the only living beings in the entire prison were her, her friends, and Ghetsis. It was both horribly disheartening and very creepy.

"But… _what_," she managed to get out. "Claire said…"

"…I… I-I'm s-so s-sorry…" Claire whispered tearily. "Th-they were… th-they were h-here b-before…"

"Of course," Ghetsis said. "And I knew that you knew that. This prison has not been used for nearly a month, since you last tried to initiate a prison break. All prisoners were moved to another location, and this abandoned place became the perfect trap."

"So, what, are you gonna kill us?" White asked bitterly.

"If I wanted to do that, you would be dead," Ghetsis said. "No, as I said, I still need you alive and active, preferably in the Sinnoh region. That is to say, I need you two, White and Bianca, alive and active. Claire, on the other hand-"

"Touch Claire and I _remove your throat_," White growled. Ghetsis made a low sound that could have been laughter.

"I believe our power disparity has been established," he said. "Though, if you insist, I have other ways of conducting studies on aura-sensitive beings. For example, I have this theory that aura sensitivity is hereditary. Doubtlessly, I could have my agents check on your parents when they drop by to chat."

Claire made a soft, fearful noise, and inched slightly closer to White, who glared on at the Shadow Lord.

"Of course, if Claire could be taken in for studying, there would be no need to get her parents involved at all," Ghetsis simpered.

"We _won't_ let you take her!" White shouted, but before she could say anything else, Claire whispered a bit more loudly than usual.

"…I'll go," she said, staring intently at the ground. White turned to Claire in alarm, painfully unsurprised.

"Claire, you _can't_ bargain with _him_ like that. He could easily still attack your parents!"

"B-but…" Claire mumbled, still gazing downward. "I want t-to g-give them a ch-chance… I d-don't want it to b-be my f-f-fault…"

"Claire…" White said unevenly, her heart sustaining a heavy blow. "I've said this to N, and I'll say it to you. It will _never_ be your fault if Cipher hurts anyone, Pokémon or human. It's thanks to you that so many people have been saved. Giving yourself up to that monster won't save anyone. It'll only make it so _you_ can't save anyone. And I can tell you right now, your parents would feel like the worst parents in the world if their daughter gave herself up to save them. They'd rather die for you than have to live with that."

No one said anything for a very long second after that. Claire seemed to turn White's words over in her mind. Ghetsis broke the silence, and for the first time his voice carried hints of anger.

"Was that _really_ necessary, White?" he almost-growled."To confuse her like that? Think about it, Claire. Unless you come with me, which is your own choice, first and foremost, then your parents will suffer most severely. Because of your own decision. How can that be anyone's fault but your own?"

White's rage flared violently, and she made to shout at Ghetsis, but Claire somehow spoke first.

"N-no! I-I… I w-won't listen to you! Y-you… You're a bad guy! You lie and hurt people and do bad things! Y-you're evil! And _I won't let you hurt my family_!"

"_You go, girl," _White thought proudly. Just then, however, she saw Ghetsis's mouth form the word _"Hydreigon…"_

Her hand fell to Reshiram's Pokéball, as she ordered Leavanny to use Protect, but Claire, in her worked-up state, was faster. Her Reinigen, already out, as well as her Zweilous, leapt forward to meet Ghetsis's mighty Hydreigon as it soared over its master's head at them.

"Dragon Breath, guys!" Claire shouted angrily. Reinigen did in fact attack with a draconic shockwave, but Zweilous instead met her evolution with a much more powerful blast of energy that White identified as Dragon Pulse. The simultaneous super-effective attacks actually managed to stop the Shadow Hydreigon in its path for a moment, giving White enough time to send out Reshiram.

"Dragon Pulse!" White cried, and her white yang dragon blasted the dark dragon farther back. However, White knew better than to actually battle the Shadow Lord, and instead leapt onto Reshiram's back. She reached down to grab Claire, who quickly recalled her own dragons and took White's hand. Bianca, fortunately, had withdrawn her Emboar and was now taking to the air on Cheren's Unfezant.

"Get us out of here!" White shouted to Reshiram, who immediately blew a hole in the roof, swerved out of the falling rubble's path, and tore upwards. Unfezant followed closely, and they narrowly avoided a mass of dark energy from Ghetsis's Hydreigon as they soared from the prison.

White was expecting Ghetsis to give pursuit, or order his Hydreigon to, or at the very least send some Cipher peons after them, and was somewhat surprised when, as far as she could tell, no attacks came their way. She didn't want to wait around to see if she was right, however, and immediately took off to the north.

"Wait!" she heard Bianca yell. "What about Will?"

"He's fine!" White insisted. "He's an Elite Four; he can take care of himself! We need to get out of here! Just follow me!"

By then, they were a good ways away from the prison. With the only Pokémon nearby a wild Wingull, White breathed an incredible sigh of relief.

"Where are we going?" Claire asked after a little. White smiled at her, glowing with pride, before answering.

"Pallet Town," she said. "We've got a huge weight to take off your parents' shoulders, and an even huger one to put on."


	23. Chapter 21: Home Again

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 21: Home Again

Claire's mind was drowning with worries as she approached her hometown for the first time in months. She hadn't quite realized before how many things there were to worry about: her parents' safety, her parents' reactions to what she'd been doing, where N and Janine and Cheren really were, if _they _were safe, what Ghetsis's strange warning meant, what was going to happen to them next, where they would go after they talked to her parents, if someone was following them liking she kept thinking…

She did her best to shake these off, but her best wasn't much. Despite her deep breaths, she still inevitably dwelled on some uncertainty, some possible means of failure, or some detail they might have overlooked. There was truly no end to the potential concerns.

Fortunately, the fly from Cinnabar to Pallet Town was not a long one. The sun was just beginning to rise when Reshiram finally touched down before the house Claire had indicated, and Claire's feet touched the soil of her home again. Bianca and White were immediately on either side of her, and smiled down at her as she looked on at her front door, barely knowing what to feel.

"Let's go, Claire," Bianca said happily, as she led the way. Claire followed slowly, and without realizing it hid behind Bianca as she knocked on the door.

Immediately after Bianca's third knock, the door swung open, and Claire's mother stood in the doorway in her purple nightgown. Her coppery brown hair looked like she hadn't done anything to it in weeks, and her blue eyes looked very worn and weary.

"…Who are you?" she asked after a moment, needing to look upwards to meet Bianca's eyes. Her voice sounded horribly defeated. "What do you want?"

Bianca merely smiled silently, and stepped to the side to reveal Claire. The full sight of her mother broke Claire's unemotional stupor, and she very quickly felt tears welling up. Her mom stared confusedly for a few moments, before her eyes gradually widened and her mouth fell open.

"C-Claire!" she gasped, freezing for a moment longer before lifting her daughter from the ground in the most physically and emotionally painful hug Claire had ever received. She sniffled in her mother's ear as her tears stained the shoulder of her nightgown. Claire didn't know if she had ever felt even close to this happy.

"Oh Claire… You're _safe_, you're _safe_, you're _safe_…" she muttered through her tears over and over again. Claire could do nothing but sob on her shoulder.

"Wes!" she finally shouted, after an amount of time Claire could never have measured. "Wes! Get down here! Now!"

A resounding _crash_ followed, as did two simultaneous, familiar cries. A deep voice called out in alarm, and in a few seconds Claire's father leapt from the stairs and landed just in front of the door, flanked by his Espeon and Umbreon.

Here, Claire's mom finally set her down, inside the house. Claire wished for a moment that she wouldn't have, but these thoughts were quickly swept away when she was tackled to the ground by the two Eeveelutions, who eagerly licked her face and let out happy cries. Claire laughed with sheer joy as she threw her arms around her father's Pokémon.

When they finally consented to climb off of her, Claire couldn't manage to stop smiling. She looked up at her dad, who was just standing rooted to the spot. Finally, he walked over to her very slowly, and dropped to his knees as though they'd given out, before gently placing his arms around her. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to; Claire understood how happy, how blissful, how utter relieved he was.

"…I love you, Daddy," she finally whispered. He let out a deep sigh and pulled back enough to kiss her on the forehead. He then stood up, keeping his eyes locked on her, like he was worried she'd be gone if he looked away. Claire held eye contact with him for a moment, and he told her that he loved her, too, a thousand times with his gaze.

Claire then turned back around to her mother, who was still sniffling. She held her arms out for a hug, which her mother immediately returned with a sob.

"…I love you, Mommy," Claire whispered, and her mother sobbed again. Claire knew she was trying to say it back, but couldn't for crying. She finally just pulled back and locked her moist eyes with Claire's, smiling as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Thank you," Claire heard her dad say, and looked up to see him shaking Bianca and White's hands in turn. "Thank you so much."

Her mom turned to them and, still unable to speak, merely nodded her agreement vigorously.

"Heh, don't thank us," White chuckled. "Neither of us were the one who took care of her most of this time. He's… not here right now."

"Doesn't matter, you brought her here," her dad said earnestly. "That's more than enough. But where's the guy you're talking about?"

"Erm, prison," White said bluntly, making Claire's parents exchange glances. "Look, we've got a lot of stuff to tell you. Like, way more than you're probably expecting. We should, um, go inside."

White and Bianca then filed into Claire's living room after Claire and her mom. Her dad shut the door, and they all found seats. White and Bianca took the couch, while Claire's dad took the chair beside it, and her mom the chair across the coffee table from it. Claire deliberated for a moment before climbing onto her mother's lap.

"Okay…" White said with a huge sigh. "Who wants to start? You wanna, Claire?"

Truthfully, Claire didn't. Now that the prospect was right in front of her, she realized how much worse it would be to tell her parents about all the horrible things that had happened to her; it was like a rehearsal next to a full-blown production of a play. She felt that she owed them the explanation herself, but…

But she didn't hesitate to jump up when a light, rapid tapping sounded from the door. Her dad and White got up just after her, but she made her way to the door quickly.

"Um, Claire, maybe me or your dad should…" White suggested pointedly, but Claire shook her head without really knowing why.

"It's okay, I got it," she said softly, before reaching up and pulling the door open.

Triton was standing in the orange light of the morning, and Claire found herself not as surprised as she ought to have been by his appearance. He was breathing rather heavily, and clutching a stitch in his chest. A wild Wingull swooped down around his head, and he angrily shooed it away.

"Mr. Thomas-" he began immediately, before stopping abruptly. "Oh. Claire. You actually got here before me. Huh."

"Triton," Claire said curiously. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Well, I _was_ here to warn your parents that a band of Cipher agents is going to show up at any second. But I take it you've already done that."

"We, um, I haven't quite gotten there yet," Claire said, feeling her face grow hot as Triton raised his eyebrows.

"You might want to mention that _soon_," he said.

"I guess you wanna battle, then?" Claire said automatically.

"I would _always _like to battle you, Claire," he said with a snort. "However, weakening our Pokémon when Cipher peons are about to show up isn't really the smartest idea."

Claire felt herself burning again, and was grateful when her dad appeared behind her.

"Who is it, Claire?" he called. "Is this the friend of yours who's supposedly in prison?"

"I've never been in prison," Triton said bitterly. "As far as you should be aware, they don't throw ten-year-olds in prison."

"I'm aware of plenty of stuff that goes on, kid," her dad threw back. "So what do you want?"

"At the moment, to come in," Triton answered.

"Do you know this guy, Claire?" her dad asked skeptically.

"…Yes," Claire said softly. "Just… come in. You'll have to stand."

"Fine by me," Triton sniffed as he marched over the threshold. Claire followed him to the center of the living room and found herself sitting between White and Bianca on the couch rather than her mother's lap, again at a loss for what to feel.

"Okay," her dad said, immediately standing back up with his Eeveelutions at his side. "Let's start with introductions. Everyone, name's Wes Thomas, Claire's dad. Rui?"

"I-I'm Rui Thomas," her mom said, struggling to keep her voice even. "Claire's mother. And… thank both of you girls so much for bringing her back."

"Right, no problem," White said a bit awkwardly. "I'm White Shirkuro, a trainer from Unova, if you couldn't tell."

"And my name's Bianca Alba!" Bianca said happily. "I'm just glad we could help you guys out."

The room then collectively turned to Triton, who gazed disinterestedly back for a moment before speaking.

"Triton Nihilus," was all he said.

Claire nearly said her name aloud, but very thankfully managed to catch herself and realize that everyone in the room already knew her. She hoped that she wouldn't manage to embarrass herself too many more times that morning.

"Right, good," her dad said, pacing with his Pokémon to her mom's chair. "Now, at the risk of sounding cliché… Claire, where have you _been_?"

"Um…" was all Claire managed to say at first. "H-hiding."

"Hiding _where_? From _what_?"

"Well… All over K-Kanto…" Claire whispered. "And f-from… C-Cipher…"

Claire's dad opened and closed his mouth several times while clenching and unclenching his fists. Her mom's eyes grew wide, and her mouth fell slowly open. After a few moments, they turned to look at each other slowly.

"Cipher…" her dad murmured.

"…_Again_," he mom gasped.

"…_Fuck_," her dad whispered, before shaking his head. "Sorry, Claire. Don't repeat that."

"That's okay, White says that all the time," Claire assured him quickly, wanting to move on to her questions. "But-"

"You know, I probably shouldn't be too happy about you swearing around my daughter," her dad interrupted to White. "But I can't really blame you. I swore plenty when _I _was the one trying to take down Cipher. Let's get some things straight, though; Cipher's operating in Kanto this time, right?"

"Uh…" White began uneasily. "More like _everywhere_. Except Unova, cause we're awesome, but that's beside the point. They basically _are_ Orre and Hoenn, from what I've heard, and they're in Johto and Sinnoh too. And yeah, Kanto."

"…_Well_," Claire's dad almost-laughed. "I see why you need more than one person. Probably not gonna be as easy this time."

"Um, Dad?" Claire spoke up. "A-are you s-saying that y-you fought Cipher before?"

"Yep. Me and Mom both," he sighed. "That's how we met, actually. We were gonna tell you about it when you were a little older, but… Eh. No avoiding it now."

At this, he collapsed back into his chair and buried his face in his hands for a moment.

"But before that, I gotta ask one thing. I can pretty much guess what happened to get Cipher after you. My question's this: Claire, _why_ didn't you come straight back home once you knew they were after you?"

"I…" Claire began slowly. She needed to find the exact right words, so they'd know she was just worried about them, and wouldn't be mad. "I just… I was s-safe with N… and C-Cipher didn't really know who I was… I was just w-worried they'd t-try to hurt you guys b-because of me…"

"Oh, Claire," her mom whispered, rising from her seat and walking to Claire. Claire got up from the couch to return her mother's hug.

"Claire, that was _so _sweet and _so_ stupid of you," her mom murmured, holding Claire by the shoulders. "You _really_ should have come to us. It's our _job_ to protect you. You could've _died_ out there, and we never would've known."

"…I-I'm really s-sorry," Claire mumbled, feeling horribly guilty. "I was okay, though. N protected me."

"Who's _N_, anyway?" her dad asked. "Is he that green-haired alleged terrorist, N Harmonia?"

"H-he's not a terrorist," Claire said defensively.

"Of course not," her dad said. "Makes sense. He was protecting you, right? So he's fighting Cipher too? So Cipher framed him as a terrorist. They did it_ good_, too; I didn't question it until just now. Where'd you _live_, though? _How'd_ you live?"

"Um…" Claire said, half-hoping and half-dreading getting a chance to tell more of her story. "I guess… I'll just… start from the beginning…"

She caught sight of White's face, and quickly added "I-I'll be fast, though."

With that, she took deep breath, and began summarizing her new life.

* * *

><p><em>So, um, basically… Everything went fine at first when I left for Lavender Town. N-nothing went wrong until we tried to go through Mount Moon. At first it was okay, just d-dark, but then… There were people hurting wild Pokémon to make them dig for stuff. I… tried to stop them, b-but lost. They'd've probably left me alone, but I saw that their P-Pokémon had d-dark auras, and asked about it.<em>

_Th-they… Well, they attacked me. They'd've got me, but N was there, and he fought them off. They left a Sh-Shadow Glalie when they ran away. Then N told me all about C-Cipher and Shadow Pokémon. I guess… You kinda already know about them…_

_Th-then they c-came back. Or maybe they were different ones. I… dunno. But there were more b-bad Cipher people, and N f-fought them too. I t-tried to help, and… me and Februa learned something. He can make Sh-Shadow Pokémon not Shadowed anymore. P-Purify them. He d-did it to a Shadow Haunter. It… hurt him a lot… the Haunter, I mean… Like, it hurts any Pokémon when they get purified…_

_A-anyway, N won, but they took the p-purified Haunter, so they f-found out that I could see Shadow Pokémon a-and that F-Februa can purify them. That was… bad. S-so we stayed in the caves for a while. N and me, I mean. That's where I met Geodude. We managed to sneak off into Cerulean City eventually, and used N's Zoroark to hide under illusions. That's where I first met Triton. I totally beat him, and… then he showed up more later. You'll have to ask him why. He wants to beat me, at least. He doesn't like Cipher, at least._

_B-but then Cipher agents found us, and me and N had to run away. We flew away to a cave somewhere south of Mount Moon, and just hid there for a while. We knew we'd have to d-do something about C-Cipher soon, so we…_

_Oh, um, right. Silph Co's being controlled by Cipher. I maybe should've said that earlier… Anyway, that's where we went first. We snuck in with Zoroark's illusion. N pretended to be someone delivering stuff, and I just looked like boxes. I found a list of Cipher bases and N destroyed some research stuff they were doing. It was… really close at some parts, but we got out just fine._

_Since we had the list, we knew other places we could go. It said they had a p-prison on Cinnabar, so we went there next, in the middle of the night. W-we wanted to get C-Cipher's enemies free, see. We got in just fine, but… th-there were a l-lot of g-guards, and then the A-Admin Ariana showed up, so he had to leave before we could get anyone out. They k-kept following us, but we flew away to Fuchsia C-City, 'cause it was closest._

_We met Janine there. The Gym Leader. See, she was running on the street too, holding a hurt Spinarak. N saw and went to help her. Once he healed the Sp-Spinarak, we found out she was the Gym Leader, and we h-hoped that that meant she'd be n-nice. And she was. She saw we were scared and tired and hid us in her gym. Some Cipher guys came and asked her some stuff, but th-they didn't look around much, and she said they weren't very suspicious once they left._

_I k-kinda figured she'd ask a lot of questions about wh-who we were and wh-why we had to h-hide, b-but she didn't. When N asked if she w-wanted to know what was going on, she just s-said this:_

"_Eh. You guys helped me straight away, so I figured I'd help you. You seem nice enough. I don't think you're really criminals."_

_She talked with N for a while. B-basically, she said she decided to trust us, and N told her enough about Cipher so she'd know to watch out but so she wasn't in danger for it. We stayed there for the night, but left really early in the morning. We headed to the Seafoam Islands, and stayed there for a while, 'cause we still wanted to free everyone at Cinnabar. That's where I met Seel; she was being attacked by some Golducks, and I f-fought them off. Th-then she just sorta joined the team._

_We never did talk to the Leader there. Blaine. We didn't want anyone to know we were there, see. We planned on talking to him when we were about to go to Cinnabar again, b-but, well… that ended up n-not happening…_

_T-Triton showed up after a while. He t-tracked me down 'cause he wanted to beat me, but I beat him again. He still won't say how he found me, but… I think it at least helped the Cipher people find us there. 'Cause they found us, not too long after he did, and we just had to run._

_We went through Fuchsia that time. Since it was the middle of the day we used Zoroark to be in disguise. Some people were looking for us, but Janine helped us get away again. She gave us the idea of using the R-Radio Tower in Lavender T-Town to get information out, s-so we started making our way there. It took a long time, since we c-couldn't use main routes and mostly just moved at night._

_That d-didn't work out, though. I fought T-Triton again at Lavender Town, and some C-Cipher people were at the Tower, and me and N just had to run again._

_After that, we got away the cave we went to after Cerulean City. We st-stayed there for a long time, trying to think what to do n-next. Eventually we decided to go to Celadon, since they had a base there._

_Th-that… went really bad. We got caught almost immediately once we got to the city, 'cause Zoroark's illusion got disrupted and some people recognized N and thought he was a t-terrorist. C-Cipher people were after us in like a second, and we just had to run._

_We stayed in a different cave that time, more to the east. That was when N started thinking we should try to go to Unova, since he's from there and knew some people who could help. I… d-didn't really wanna go, since it was a totally new place, b-but there didn't seem to be a much better plan._

_Well, Triton managed to track us down to the cave. I beat him, and he went off, but we knew C-Cipher would find us soon, so we ran off. It ended up being just in time, since a bunch of Cipher people landed right as we were leaving. We hid back in our old cave, without them following us, but we knew we wouldn't be safe there for long. _S-so… P-p-pretty s-soon we j-just took off f-for Unova._  
><em>

_We got there after like three days. We found White pretty soon, and then she called Bianca and a guy named Cheren over. N told them about Cipher, sorta. Triton showed up, though, and I fought him again, but that kinda scared us since him showing up usually meant C-Cipher wasn't far behind. So, we started warning people in the Unova League real quick._

_Cipher did show up, and tried to pretend to be International Police, but we were faster. We got everyone r-ready to fight, and kicked the Cipher people out of Unova._

_Th-then we all went back to Kanto. I mean, me and N and White and Bianca and Cheren. We went to tell Janine first, since she kinda already knew us. Cipher people attacked us, though… You might've heard about the e-explosion… and just me and White and Bianca got away. N and Janine and Cheren and a boy named Silver all got captured. I… th-thought they were at Cinnabar… s-since it was the p-prison… s-so we went there, b-but… all the prisoners w-were g-gone._

_There was j-just a Sh-Shadow Lord named G-G-Ghetsis in there. He's like one of the b-biggest Cipher people. He sorta th-threatened to send Cipher people after you guys. So, we managed to run away, and d-decided to go warn you guys and t-tell you everything._

_And… then we c-came here._

* * *

><p>Claire glanced around the room once she had finished speaking, observing everyone's reactions. White seemed content with her conciseness, which relieved her. She was worried about disappointing White. Her dad looked a bit strained, and her mom looked sad and worried, but neither seemed at all confused, so she supposed she had found a good balance of detail.<p>

"Well…" her dad said after a few moments. "You've been through so much more than you ever should have had to go through. I'm just… I'm just glad you're still okay. What's done is done. I'm not gonna worry about any of that stuff. What matters is you're safe now."

Claire got up and hugged him again, before turning to her mom. Her expression kept shifting, from looking like she was about to admonish Claire for putting herself in so much danger to looking like she was about to break out in tears and embrace her again. Finally, she sighed and rubbed her eyes slowly.

"…I suppose Dad's right…" she conceded. "What matters is that you're safe now, and you won't have to deal with Cipher anymore."

Claire was surprised at this, but after a moment realized that she shouldn't have been. Of course her parents wouldn't want her to continue to fight against Cipher. But she and Reinigen were the best weapon against them. And she'd made a promise… to stop the bad Cipher people… to use her special talents for good… to save everyone…

"Um…" she mumbled. "I… k-kinda still need to h-help…"

"Claire, you've done more than enough already," her dad said sternly. "I know you're used to fighting them, but this is really-"

He was cut off by a loud banging at the door. White leapt to her feet and drew two Pokéballs, as did Bianca a moment later. Claire's dad stood up, with his Espeon and Umbreon at his feet, glancing between the door and the other standing trainers. Claire reacted almost as quickly, grabbing Zweilous's Pokéball, and she saw that Triton too was ready to battle.

"That's probably Cipher," White said matter-of-factly. "Anyone else want to get it?"

Without really waiting for a response, White strode over to the door. Still clutching her Pokéballs, she paused momentarily before throwing the door open. By this point, Claire was standing closely behind her, and everyone else had crowded around the door.

To Claire's surprise, the knocker was again not an agent of Cipher; rather, he was a somewhat overweight man with slightly thinning hair, with a Wingull perched on his shoulder. Claire thought that he looked somewhat frantic.

"…Uh, Mr. Alba?" White said surprisedly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, thank Arceus Wingull managed to keep track of you!" the man, whom Claire presumed to be Bianca's father, exclaimed. "I've been looking for you ever since I heard you left, Bianca! I'm just lucky Wingull found you. Now, I'm going to put an end to this nonsense and take you home where you belong!"


	24. Chapter 22: Various Tensions

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 22: Various Tensions

Bianca was, put simply, not happy to see her father. He had always possessed a knack for appearing at the least opportune moments, but his recent apparent acceptance of her relative independence made this appearance especially jarring. On the other hand, she could follow his reasoning for choosing now, after such a long time, to intervene; living in a moderately distant city with a responsible Gym Leader was one thing, but leaving the country to battle an international organization of evil was another.

Nor was his Wingull a complete surprise to her. This was not the first time he had used the foreign water bird to stalk her. She was exceptionally good at tracking things down and refusing to let them leave her sight, as she had done throughout much of Bianca's first journey across Unova. In all honesty, she was one of the few Pokémon Bianca rather detested.

At that moment, however, these things passed through Bianca Alba's mind only fleetingly. What filled her mind, for the most part, was her fear. This was it, her dad would take her away and she'd have to just sit at home and worry about her friends and the fate of the world, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. How could she possibly look him in his worry-filled eyes and tell him "no"?

"...Bianca?" her father said after several silent moments. "I know you think you're doing what's best, but you're just in way over your head here. You need to listen to your father now. I've given you much more freedom than I'm comfortable with, but I just did it to make you happy. But you've just gone too far this time, and I've got to put a stop to it. You aren't cut out to be a hero, and you're coming home now."

Bianca stared almost blankly at her father, sinking with dejection. Her dad was right, like always. She should've known better than to try to be a hero; she just wasn't cut out for it. She was too weak and stupid.

"Uh, Mr. Alba?" White spoke up. "Just, listen. Bianca's nineteen now. You just can't tell her what to do anymore. She can make her own decisions now."

"Don't you start with me, White Shirkuro!" Bianca's father snapped. "I'd take you back home too, if I could. I'll give you that you're more suited for this sort of thing than my Bianca Bel, but I still think you're a kid in way over your head. It'd burn me almost as bad to see you get hurt, but there's nothing I can do to stop you."

"...Okay..." White said, somewhat awkwardly. "But, still. You can't boss Bianca around any more than me. She's an adult now."

"Barely!" he shouted. "I'm still her father, and I can decide what's best for my Bianca Bel! And it certainly isn't this reckless adventure!"

"Okay, _you_ need to calm down," White began more hotly, but Bianca found her voice at this point.

"...I'll just go," she sniffed. "It's not like I've been any help here anyway."

White opened her mouth to speak, closed it, opened it again, and just left her jaw hanging for a moment. She then glanced back at the Thomas's, who were standing back somewhat confusedly, and then to Bianca's father again, before hastily shoving Mr. Thomas and Mr. Alba together.

"Introduce yourselves!" she cried, before suddenly seizing Bianca's wrist and dragging her back inside and into the Thomas's kitchen. Bianca was rather taken aback, and just silently stumbled along with her friend.

"Okay, B," White began sternly. "This is basically the _best_ and _worst_ possible time to sort this stuff out. So it's getting sorted out. Got that?"

"Um," was all Bianca managed. White seemed to take this as a yes.

"Good," she said. "I'm gonna get this out of the way now: you aren't useless. I wouldn't be here now if you didn't come. I'd be dead. So incredibly dead. But you're here, so I'm not."

This did little to cheer Bianca up. More than anything, she felt awkward. She hadn't accomplished anything real; everything she had done, White had been there too to do it better. Her greatest contribution had been providing light in the prison via Emboar, and surely Reshiram could have done that better if she had not been there.

"B-but I haven't really done anything..." she mumbled, anxiously spinning her new flute in her palm. "Nothing you couldn't do better. Everything would've gone the same if I wasn't here. I didn't-"

"B," White cut in. "I love you to death, but shut up. There's no way to tell how things would've gone without you. We're a _team_, B, we're working together. We wouldn't be the same _team_ without you. _We_, the _team_, get things done. We do awesome and screw up together. Sure, the team's kinda broken up right now, but... Bah, what matters is you're here doing stuff, and that _helps_, damn it."

White's sheer eagerness to cheer Bianca up improved her mood significantly better than her actual words did. She wasn't too convinced by the whole _team_ idea, but the fact that White wanted her to stay and be happy so badly reminded her of how lucky she was to have her friends. But... Her father was still out there... And he was so worried...

"...Oh White, I just, blah," she began intelligently. "My dad's out there. I have to go. That's just, that's how it is, I gotta go now, I'm sorry, I hope everyone else gets safe and stuff, you probably oughta take this flute, and I should really go now!"

She was very breathless by the end of this, and shoved the flute into White's hands before attempting to run from the kitchen. She got just a few paces from the front door before White caught up with her. They effectively returned to the crowd at the same time. Bianca spent a moment being worried about what would follow, which allowed her father to speak first.

"Are you done saying goodbye, Bianca?"

Bianca inadvertently met her father's eyes as he said this, and anything resembling will she had possessed instantly faded. He knew what was best for her, even if she didn't. She was too stupid to know. But just one look in his eyes showed how much he cared. _He _knew.

She couldn't articulate a response, but managed to nod in agreement. Her dad smiled (he was so relieved, so relieved because she wasn't going to even try being a hero) and moved to grab her arm. White, however, stepped swiftly in between them.

"Mr. Alba, don't you really think it's time to let Bianca live her own life? I mean, you're straight-up bullying her into coming back home when she really wants to stay here."

(White knew that she really wanted to stay there)

"Live her own life! I _did_ let her do that! I let her live in a completely different city! I'll let her live her life, but I will _not_ let her throw it away on some misplaced sense of heroism! That won't make her happy!"

(and her dad knew that she'd be happier if she went back)

"Okay, who the hell are _you_ to decide what'll make her happy? She can do what she wants, and she _wants _to help fight for freedom everywhere!"

(…White could decide she wanted to fight)

"It might sound like a good idea to her _now_, but when things get tough and sad and she just can't handle it, she'll be much worse off than if she'd just come home!"

(…her father knew she couldn't handle it)

"You don't know that! How's she gonna grow if she just runs home?"

…White knew she needed to grow.

"Healthily! Constantly fearing for her life wouldn't help her grow!"

…They both knew she needed to grow. She obviously wasn't good enough for anything yet.

"Okay, none of that matters! The _point_ is that you can't pick what she wants!"

…But White could? (But that was kind of ungrateful…)

"I can pick what's best for her! What will make her happiest!"

And he knew that she couldn't find happiness herself. Obviously she was too stupid for that. (But he did only want what was best for her…)

"You mean what'll make _you_ happiest!"

What would make him happiest versus what would make White happiest? What about what would actually make _Bianca_ happiest? Could she even work that out if she tried?

"How _dare_ you! I'm only worrying about my Bianca Bel!"

But she certainly knew what would make either of _them_ happiest. That's what they cared about. That's _all _they cared about. _What they wanted._

"You're controlling her life!"

"And you're destroying it!"

"…Can I say anything in this?" Bianca finally murmured, feeling increasingly bitter.

"Huh?" White said surprisedly. "Oh, yeah, course!"

"Really?" Bianca said, her voice wavering as it grew slightly louder. "I sorta thought this was just about what you guys wanted."

"Bianca Bel-" her dad began, but his use of her middle name made her twinge with agitation, and she somehow managed to cut him off.

"Don't call me that. I don't like that name. I _hate_ that name. I've _always_ hated that name. And I've always hated how you always say what'll make me happy even when it just makes me miserable and destroys all my dreams and just makes _you _happy!"

She grew louder and louder as she spoke, until she was just shy of shouting by the end. She felt years of suppressed bitterness at being _told_ what she wanted and what would make her happy gushing out of her busted emotional floodgates.

"B-Bianca!" her father spluttered, at an utter loss for words.

"You _tell_ him, B!" White cheered, but Bianca felt the same twinge of agitation and rounded on her alleged friend.

"You're the same! You always talk for me, you always say what I _want_, you always know what's best for me without letting me talk too!"

"Uh… I do?" White said perplexedly. "I mean, _now_ I kinda did, but I thought you kinda said you wanted to stay when you first came. You just didn't seem like you were gonna speak up yourself, but-"

"But I, but you still are _talking_ for me, and assumed what I wanted was what _you _wanted! And just, look now!"

"That… wasn't what I was thinking at all, Bianca," White said, sounding genuinely hurt. "I just… thought that really was what you wanted, and that you'd want some help saying it…"

"But, but I, but, you can't, he, I just…" Bianca ranted, barely aware of what she was saying anymore. She was just too emotionally overloaded, and needed a while to herself.

"Bianca… Please come home…" her dad whispered, and something snapped in her again.

"I'm not going back to Unova!" she shrieked, before charging through the doorway. Fortunately, the Thomas's had gone back inside a while ago, and she did not crash into them. She made vague note of them sitting in the living room, passing straight through the kitchen and collapsing into a chair in the unlit dining room.

She felt terrible. Absolutely terrible. She had attacked her own _father_, for wanting her to stay safe. Worse, if that was even possible, she had attacked White, her best friend in the world, for trying to stick up for her. They both truly meant well, and she had no-doubt horribly wounded them both in her explosion. She had just had enough of people acting like she didn't really have opinions of her own, or that they could decide what those were… but she had overreacted so extremely that she could have easily caused lasting damage to her relationships with two of the most important people to her. She just felt absolutely terrible…

After some unclear amount of time of covering her face with her palms and wallowing, White appeared at Bianca's side. She didn't say anything for a little, until Bianca uncovered her face.

"You all right, B? Well, are you any better?"

For a while, Bianca didn't know how to answer this. The simplest way would've been no, she felt far worse. Most of the time she spent reveling at the fact that White was still most worried about her, and re-realizing that she shouldn't have expected any less from her amazing best friend. Finally, after breathing deeply, she started speaking, with greater caution that she had even spoken with before.

"…Not really. I'm just… I'm so sorry, White. You… I didn't mean any of that. I know you really wanna help and you're just so nice to me and… and I know I'm lucky to have friends like you. I just… snapped. I'm tired… of people acting like I can't think for myself…"

"Well, what _do_ you think, B? Like, what do ya wanna do? I thought I knew, but I don't wanna assume anything."

"…I wanna stay with you, and help save everyone," she said, with the slightest pause to genuinely contemplate it. "Really, I do."

"Well, that's good," White nodded. "Cause, well, you're dad kinda left. I think he figured that's what you'd decided. Dunno if he'll change his mind or what, but he's gone right now."

Bianca felt sinking sadness at this. She had managed to reconcile with White (she hoped, very sincerely), but she still was on a very bad note with her father. It was true that she could die during her crusade… and what if that was the last thing she ever said to him?

"…Do you know where he went?" she asked, not very hopefully.

"He didn't say anything," White confirmed. "Just took off. I'm really sorry, Bianca."

"You shouldn't be sorry!" Bianca insisted. "_I'm_ the one who needs to be sorry!"

"You really don't, B," White said simply. "I understand."

Bianca promptly leapt to her feet and embraced her best friend as mightily as she possibly could. She was just _so_ lucky to have White, and Cheren, and even Claire and N, even if she hadn't known them as long. They were her friends. And she loved her friends.

"You ready to go, B?" White said shortly after their hug ended.

"Go where?" she asked.

"Well, Viridian City is the closest, to the north. We need to start warning Gym Leaders, like we did in Unova, until we can figure out where N and Cheren and everyone are. Claire managed to convince her parents to let her go, on the condition that they go too. I think Triton's tagging along too for some reason. That sound good?"

"That sounds great," Bianca said, smiling, as she walked away with her friend.

* * *

><p>It became obvious to Janine that the prison was the Celadon City Penitentiary as soon as N's Altaria soared over the outer walls. This rather disconcerted Janine, as it showed just how thoroughly Cipher had taken over the police force. Regardless, she didn't dwell on the fact, and focused instead on quickly evading the searchlights tearing through the dark and leaving the prison behind. Before she could get a comfortable distance away, however, a siren sounded from the Penitentiary. Apparently, they were now fully aware of her escape, which meant she'd have to be very fast.<p>

"Right there, the huge greenhouse," Janine whispered to N's Altaria, upon identifying the windowed Celadon Gym amidst the vast, illuminated city. She dove down, landing gracefully before the entrance to the Gym. Few were on the streets so early in the morning, so Janine was able to break in without being noticed easily.

Janine had visited Erika's gym enough times (for rare poisons, exciting battles, or just some conversation over Erika's Arceus-awful herbal tea) that she was able to sprint through the maze of pots and plants and Pokémon beds in the dark without crashing into anything. At least, she was able to do so until an obstacle suddenly moved into her path. As she smacked directly into it, attempting to skid to a halt, she identified it as a sleepwalking Erika.

"Hmm? Whassat?" the Grass-type Gym Leader mumbled incoherently. "No time for tea, Tina. Have to…"

Janine promptly smacked Erika across the face to jolt her out of her daze. Halfway through the slap, she deeply regretted it, suddenly realizing that she likely still had trace amounts of Toxic liquid on her hands. Indeed, after stumbling dizzily and recovering, Erika had a much redder splotch across her cheek than the slap alone should have caused, which was growing slightly swollen.

"J-Janine?" she said surprisedly. "What are you doing here? What's going on? My face burns…"

"Ah, frickin, sorry," Janine shouted, feeling frantically around her pockets. She quickly located her bottle of a general-purpose antidote, and hastily splashed some on Erika's worsening rash. The swelling died down in a few seconds, and the red mark began to fade. Erika felt her cheek gingerly for a moment, still looking dazed.

"Kay, so, are you awake yet?" Janine asked a bit anxiously. Erika seemed to take a moment to notice that Janine had said something, and was still staring off vaguely as she spoke.

"I believe so. But I can't say for sure. You're the one who knows if you're a dream or not."

"Close enough," Janine said, beginning to have small doubts about her plan. "Right, so, I've got some really important stuff to tell you. Are you awake enough for it?"

"I believe so," Erika repeated. Janine let out a half-sigh, half-grunt before launching into what she hoped was a detailed-enough description of Cipher to make an impression on Erika and help her know how to act. Erika's wakefulness increased throughout the description, until she was staring wide-eyed at Janine by the time Janine explained how she'd escaped.

"That's… just terrible!" she cried. "And no one ever noticed them?"

"I guess not," Janine sniffed bitterly. "So, you think you could sorta help get N and everyone out of the prison?"

Erika didn't say anything for a few seconds, which made Janine begin to worry. Sure, Erika's heart was always in the right place, but she was just so spacey and even airheaded that Janine wasn't sure she was really up to the job. Perhaps she should switch roles in her plan with Erika…

"You know, on second thought-" Janine began, but Erika finally answered.

"I believe I can do that. They can't legally take prisoners' Pokémon out of Pokéballs, you know. That should be enough to start with. And… Hmm…"

Janine hadn't known that, and was rather shocked that Erika did. Regardless, it was reassuring. Erika's closest friends often said that she was smarter than most people gave her credit for, yet while Janine considered her a fairly good friend, she hadn't seen more than a handful of instances to support this. But she sounded like she had a plan, and that would have to be enough for Janine.

"Right, awesome. Well, you think on that, and work out a plan, and, I dunno, do stuff. I gotta go, like, right now. The sun's probably gonna be up in a few minutes, and I gotta be out of town by then."

"Good luck," Erika said vaguely, and Janine quickly ran from the greenhouse.

The instant she set foot outside, Janine sent out N's Altaria and leapt on her back. They hadn't been in the air for more than a full second, however, when several sharp shards of ice pelted them both, throwing them back to the ground. Janine didn't bother to look back at her attacker, and immediately recalled Altaria as she hit the ground, taking off at full speed around a street corner. Once she was confident that she had put plenty of distance between her and the Cipher agent, she stopped in an alleyway to catch her gasping breath and slow her pounding heart.

She was too obvious. Out in the open, she'd be spotted in a second. She needed a way to disguise herself, especially considering that Altaria was likely too injured to fly very far, or, at the very least, not look so distinctive in the middle of a city. How had N done it for so…?

_Zoroark_. Perfect. She could disguise herself _completely_. That would sure simplify things. She quickly reached into the bag and pulled out a Pokéball she was sure wasn't Altaria's. She clicked it open, and a Breloom appeared, looking confused. Janine quickly explained what had happened to her before recalling her and opening another Pokéball. A Camerupt appeared this time, who worriedly headbutted Janine's leg and gazed up at her. He was visibly saddened when she explained what had happened and recalled him. Finally, she opened one of the last two (she noticed that there were only five, and remembered sadly that one had been killed) which finally happened to contain Zoroark. The illusion fox Pokémon glanced quickly around before staring up at Janine, quite clearly demanding an explanation.

"Well, see…" Janine began. "We all got captured, you know. N and all you guys and me and most everyone who was there at Fuchsia. I broke out with you guys, though. I think one of you guys died, though… N had a Carracosta, right? He's… not here. N said someone died, so… Yeah. He's probably dead."

Zoroark let out a cry, which made Janine feel somewhat awkward. Talking to anyone else's Pokémon wasn't very easy, but N's Pokémon were used to a trainer who literally understood what they were saying. She had next to no idea what Zoroark was trying to convey.

"Uh…" she said. "Well, anyway, I've given N some Sleep Powder, and Silver and the other guy too, and I told the Gym Leader here what's going on and she said she'd help them. So I'm pretty sure he'll be okay, but I've got a plan that'll help do what N really wants, help stop Cipher, and first I gotta go to Vermilion City. If you could use your illusions to help disguise me, I'd like uh be really grateful?"

She finished rather uncomfortably, as Zoroark was staring at her intently, but she couldn't figure his expression out. He remained silent for a few moments, before growling something. Janine wasn't totally sure what this meant, but she got the feeling that it wasn't agreement.

"Erm," she said uncertainly. "It'll let a lot of people know about Cipher. That's what N wants even more than getting out. So, uh, yeah. He'd probably want you to help. Yeah."

Zoroark almost cut her off with a series of snarls that made Janine take a step back. He apparently did not care for her much, or preferred to save N than help her, or just didn't like listening to anyone other than N, or… something else. He made it clear that he was not about to give her any sort of help.

"Uh, please?" Janine said, unconsciously slipping into begging. "I really stand no chance of this without you. Really, I promise that N will be able to get out soon. Seriously. But he'll want us to go on without him for now. Like, really. You know him better than me, so you should know that. Right?"

The illusion fox merely sniffed in response. Janine assumed that he was still thoroughly unconvinced. Just as she was wishing that she could understand him, she was seized with a potentially risky idea. She thought it over, realized she wouldn't stand any chance of convincing him any other way, and shrugged as she withdrew the rest of the Pokéballs from the bag.

"Maybe you guys could, like, talk about this amongst yourselves?" she asked as she sent the rest of N's Pokémon out. Altaria (who was clearly quite injured), Breloom, and Camerupt appeared nicely around Zoroark, while N's gigantic Zekrom took up most of the width of the alleyway next to them. Janine realized with a wince how incredibly conspicuous they all were to anyone passing by.

"Maybe, like, quickly?" she suggested. Altaria cried (spoke?) first, and Zoroark growled (in response?). Janine couldn't follow the (discussion?) very well after that. Zoroark's snarling comebacks, Altaria's song-like points, Camerupt's grunts and sniffs of reason, Breloom's squeaky assertions, and Zekrom's deep growls of idealism all blended together to form what was unmistakably a debate. Janine tried to follow it, but this mostly amounted to imagining the personalities and opinions of each one and assigning them sides. The only opinions she was fairly confident she interpreted correctly were Zoroark's contempt for her and Altaria's compassion.

Finally, just when Janine was considering trying to hurry them up, they seemed to reach a resolve. Zoroark slowly approached her and sat at her side. When she looked down at him, she saw that he was now a Houndoom, and that she was now wearing a hideous yellow dress. She observed her hands, which were bony and wrinkled and liver-spotted. She let out an enormous sigh of relief as her hands dropped.

"Thank you, so much," she said to all of them, before sending all but Zoroark back into their Pokéballs. "Really, thank you," she added to Zoroark, who growled slightly. She took off at a brisk, but reasonable, pace towards the eastern edge of the city.

The sun was up by then, and people and their Pokémon were beginning to fill the streets. No one looked at Janine more than twice, even a few people she recognized as Cipher agents from the prison, so she assumed Zoroark's illusion was convincing. After a fairly short walk, she emerged onto Route 7, and quickly crossed it. She struggled to appear unconcerned as she walked through the gate at the end of the route, as the guard watched her closely. She was seized with the paranoid yet very possible notion that all the guards at all the gates were working for Cipher. However, the guard didn't say anything or stop her, and she passed through the gate unimpeded.

Saffron City was already bustling, even though it couldn't have been more than an hour after the dawn. This was mostly comforting to Janine, as she would stand out even less in the crowd. At the same time, she constantly made sure that Zoroark was right at her side.

She stopped to gaze at the Silph Co building for a moment, wondering at the fact that everyone entering and exiting the building was a member of Cipher. She felt an impulse to go in and just ransack the place, but snapped away from it when Zoroark growled lowly, and quickly went off to the southern edge of the city. She exited and passed through Route 6 easily.

By the time she passed through the gate to Vermilion City, she was starting to get worried that this was all too easy. She had proceeded completely unopposed after donning Zoroark's illusion. Surely something had to go wrong soon…

Yet, she crossed the city just as easily, and reached the Vermilion Gym with little effort. With worries still buzzing about in the back of her mind, she stood outside the gym, wondering what approach would be best. She knew Surge wouldn't have opened the gym yet, but wasn't sure if breaking in would be a good idea. She suspected that he was already up, working out with his Pokémon, but kept the door locked to challengers. Finally, she simply approached the door and knocked sharply on it.

No answer came. After a few moments, she knocked again, slightly more loudly. Again, there was no response. After knocking a third time, more loudly still, a shout finally answered.

"Gym's closed!" Surge's voice bellowed. "Can't you read? Come back at ten!"

Janine disregarded this, knowing Surge's patience wouldn't last, and knocked again. When Surge said nothing, she continued to knock.

"Go away, damn it!" Surge shouted after a while. "The Gym's _closed_!"

Janine continued to knock, while laughing under her breath. She knew Surge rather well, and was one of the few people who could safely mess with him. Finally, after constantly knocking for ten more seconds, the door flew open, and Surge towered over her from the doorway.

"What're you still here for, huh?" he began bellowing, but Janine leapt forward and pushed him into the gym. The force of the impact disrupted Zoroark's illusion, and she saw her hands and sleeves return to normal. As soon as she was sure Zoroark was in the building, she kicked the door closed, all the while watching a shocked Surge.

"The hell? What's goin… _Janine_?" he spluttered confusedly. Janine took a moment to smirk at his bewilderment before jumping into the explanation she'd prepared.

"No time for confusion, Surge," she said in a half-mocking superior tone. "I'll cut to the point that matter. Our country's at risk from a terrorist organization called Cipher."

"What the- how'd this happen?" Surge shouted angrily. "Not Kanto! Not on _my_ watch!"

"Awesome," Janine chuckled, dropping her guise. "I dunno _how_ it happened, but it's happened. They're everywhere. And they're the police, too. They've been throwing people in prison for a while now."

"_A while_?" Surge cried in outrage. "Well I'm sure as hell putting a stop to this!"

"The problem, though," Janine interrupted, "is that no one knows they exist. What we've gotta do is let everyone know, and tell them to fight back."

"Hmm… Yeah, I like the sound of that," Surge agreed. "You thinkin what I'm thinkin?"

"You thinking the Radio Tower in Lavender Town?" Janine asked, smiling impishly.

"Heh, yeah," Surge said, mirroring her smile.

"Then yes," Janine chuckled.

* * *

><p>Cheren was more than ready to strangle Silver by the time they received the Sleep Powder from Janine, and the ensuing argument did little to lessen this desire, which was too consistent to be accurately called an impulse. As their hissed insulting counter-points and straight-up insults grew increasingly ardent, it became increasingly obvious how incredibly tired they both were. Sleep Powder-induced sleep, Cheren knew, was highly inefficient compared to natural slumber. He had probably only had the equivalent of a twenty-minute nap since waking up the previous morning, and sleep before then had been inconsistent. Finally, when he became aware that his arguments were verging on incoherent, he bitterly suggested that they go to sleep.<p>

"You sleep," Silver sniffed. "_I'm_ not tired."

"You're blatantly lying," Cheren murmured. "But if you insist on not sleeping, then give me the Sleep Powder."

"And why should I do that?" Silver snapped.

"So I know you won't use it to escape without me," Cheren said irritably, attempting to make Silver sound stupid.

"How do I know you won't do the same thing?" Silver immediately countered.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I'll be _asleep_," Cheren snorted. Silver opened his mouth to make a fool of himself again, but seemed to think better of it. With the bottle held loosely at his side, Cheren was able to easily take it. Silver again made to object, but couldn't seem to think of a good enough argument. After pocketing the bottle, Cheren collapsed onto the platform that seemed intended to be a bed, and in spite of it managed to fall quickly asleep.

His dream was one of the stranger ones he'd had, though this wasn't saying particularly much, as his dreams tended to be fairly logical. Silver was guiding him through the prison hall, pointing out each cell to him, most of which contained Pokémon. Except, the Pokémon were all one solid color that seemed to have no correlation to their species. At one point Cheren hypothesized that these had something to do with their auras, or perhaps _were_ their auras. Silver would explain how each of Pokémon's imprisonment was Cheren's fault, and, though Cheren would shout in protest, only the cry of a Serperior would come out. Silver would laugh at him before dragging him on.

At some point, it wasn't Silver anymore, but Greevil, the Shadow Lord who had invaded Unova. Except he was taller, significantly taller, and his entire body was concealed by his flowing cloak, except for his masklike face, which seemed to float around in the darkness, because the prison was suddenly very dark. The oddly-colored Pokémon glowed faintly, but their light did not go beyond their cells. Finally, they reached the last cell, and Cheren suddenly realized that he had been dreading this, and didn't want to look it. He tried to turn away, but the guard, who was now White, forced him to look. For just a moment, he saw a small figure, glowing a murky purple, facing the wall. He desperately didn't want it to turn around, knew he would hate what he saw, but it soon did, and he recoiled with a terrified scream when he saw Bianca's saddened face…

"Get up," a voice was saying. Silver's, he recognized after a moment. He didn't especially want to, but begrudgingly acknowledged its probable importance, and after savoring the rest for a second longer he rolled off of the platform.

"Listen," Silver whispered, gesturing outside the cell. Cheren edged slightly closer to the door, and did so.

"Tell her I'm _busy_ right now," the Cipher Admin Ariana was saying to a flustered-looking peon a short ways outside their cell. "I have a meeting. Have her come back later."

"She's been, um, insistent?" the peon said uncertainly. "I mean, she won't leave…"

"I am about to hold a double-interrogation!" Ariana snapped. "But don't tell her that! Just tell her I'm in a meeting!"

"Who is it that should be told you're in a meeting?" a polite, dreamy voice called from beyond Cheren's range of vision. Ariana rapidly spun around, and for a few moments seemed at a loss for words. In this time, a short, slim, black-haired woman in a yellow-orange kimono shuffled up to the Cipher Admin. She had relaxed, airy, even foolish demeanor about her, and Cheren didn't exactly see her as a ray of light. She seemed like the kind of person Ariana could easily sway.

"L-Leader Erika!" Ariana exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! May I ask who let you in? It's not that I distrust you, but you surely understand potential security risks if I was not informed of your arrival."

"Oh, just someone," Erika (who was apparently a Gym Leader) said vaguely. "I don't remember who."

"Ah, hmm," Ariana said tensely. "I suppose I'll just have to ask guards on duty later. What exactly is it that you want? We're awfully busy, see."

"Well, I was wondering why you would want someone told you're in a meeting," she said, quite sincerely. "Since it doesn't look like you are. Unless you were talking about me?"

Cheren groaned under his breath, rubbing his temples. Of all the Gym Leaders, the one to show up had to be the half-baked one. He supposed she'd have to serve as a distraction at best.

"Ah, never mind that," Ariana said hurriedly. "Why is it that you _came_ here?"

"Hmm?" Erika said quietly. "Oh, yes. Well, you see, I heard that you've been making use of prisoners' Pokémon. You can't do that, you know."

"Making use of their-" Ariana began incredulously. "Why, we would never do that! We detain the Pokémon of convicts, certainly, but they remain in their Pokéballs, safely in the storage on the far end of the upper floor. We are fully aware of the law here, and would _never-_"

"Ariana, ma'am?" said an approaching peon. "I've got Cheren Noire's and Silver Anima's Pokémon for the-"

Turning her back to Erika, Ariana shot the peon the single fiercest, most genuinely terrifying look Cheren had ever seen. He was half-surprised that the peon didn't just drop dead right where he stood, and could hardly blame him for dropping the bags and nearly falling to the ground as he flinched back.

"Uh, I mean, I'll just, um, take them back to storage?" he spluttered, before sprinting off the way he had come without picking up the bag. After fuming for a brief moment, Ariana turned with a very forced calm back to Erika.

"Are you lying?" Erika asked before Ariana could speak, making Cheren bury his face in his hands again. Ariana uncharacteristically took a moment to articulate her response.

"Lying? Why on Earth would I lie to a Gym Leader?" she said, slight faults appearing in her usual genuine-sounding offense. "That guard was obviously misinformed. He will certainly be dealt with accordingly."

"May I see the bags?" Erika asked, still in her vague and dreamy tone. Ariana hastily picked up the bags and deliberated a moment. While she did, Cheren instinctively turned to Silver, who met his eyes. There was no arguing necessary in that moment, nor any sort of words. Ariana's attention was entirely consumed by Erika; she had forgotten that the prisoners whose Pokémon she held were barely a foot from her. Cheren silently passed the bottle to Silver, knowing his own inept throwing skills.

"I'm afraid these are-" Ariana began, but was cut short when the bottle of Sleep Powder crashed into her face, coating her face in both broken glass and heavy green sedative. Her shriek of pain quickly became garbled, before she collapsed to the floor. Erika gazed curiously at her for an excessively long second before kneeling down, snapping something off of the Admin's belt, picking up the bags, and turning to the cell that Cheren and Silver were in.

"Are these your Pokémon?" she asked, not quite looking directly at them.

"Probably," Cheren answered quickly. "Please, just let us out. We are innocent; Cipher just doesn't like us."

"Oh, I know," Erika said as she slid Ariana's passkey into the lock and opened the cell door. Cheren immediately rushed through the doorway, followed immediately by Silver.

The red-haired trainer walked over to his unconscious mother and promptly kicked her in the face, making her nose spout blood. He then removed her belt with her Pokéballs, flung it across the hall, and dragged Ariana into what had been his cell. Cheren was a bit shocked at the decisiveness of his actions, and how he had clearly thought them through.

Proceeding to ignore this, he hastily took a bag from Erika and immediately recognized the Pokéballs inside as his own. He saw guards approaching on either side, and, after glancing to Silver, immediately sent out Serperior. She instantly wrapped herself affectionately around him, warming Cheren's heart a little, but she sensed the seriousness of the situation and quickly turned to face the looming guards. Cheren glanced back to see Silver facing the other direction, with his Typhlosion towering in front of him. Erika already had a Victreebel at her side, but was gazing at the empty cell opposite Cheren's rather than at the attackers.

The Cipher peons on Cheren's side each had a Houndour, except for the apparent leader, who led the attack with a powerful Arcanine. Cheren smirked as they rushed recklessly forward, before ordering Serperior to strike the Fire-types down with a barrage of Stone Edge attacks. Serperior smacked the ground mightily with her tail, flicking the shards of concrete at the enemies with her tail and knocking them out before they were at all close to them. The peons nervously recalled their Pokémon and retreated, and Cheren turned to see the others doing the same.

"Right," he said, automatically adopting a sense of authority. "We need to get these people free and armed. These bags have our cell numbers on them, so everyone else's probably do too. Erika, hold your ground here and wait for Silver and I to get back. We'll get the Pokémon from storage and throw them down to you, and you'll get them out with the passkey. Now, Silver-"

"The answer is no," Silver interrupted bitterly. "Do what you want, but _I'm_ leaving while I've got the chance."

"I wasn't about to ask you a question," Cheren responded bitterly. "And there's no time to argue. You want to fight Cipher, don't you?"

"Yes, but I'd like to _live_ more," Silver threw back. "There's no point in breaking these people out. Plenty of other people will be willing to fight."

"Oh, and never mind the _morality_ of leaving these people here," Cheren criticized. "But _logically_, we'll have an _army_ ready immediately if we just do this. And _there's no time to argue_. So let's go."

Cheren hastily took off in the direction Ariana had mentioned and the peon had run to, followed by Silver. Given that the exit was also in that direction, Cheren wasn't sure if he had convinced him to help or not. Erika followed behind them at her own pace, casually informing people that they would be free soon, and was soon left behind. Several more guards continued to attempt to stop them, but none could so much as take out Serperior or Typhlosion. Most of them seemed unsure of what to do without Ariana to order them, and the few who held authority were the ones who attacked and lost the quickest. The guards were thus left in a state of general disorder.

Finally, once they reached the stairs that led to the storage area, Silver stopped for a full second before following Cheren up, murmuring something about _stupidity_. Cheren laughed once under his breath as he hurried toward the conveniently-labeled Pokémon storage room. Five peons stood guard outside of it, who were laughably easy to defeat between the two of them. It crossed Cheren's mind that this security must have been considered largely redundant; none of the prisoners were supposed to have Pokémon. This was really an optimal post for the less competent peons. Until the prisoners got their Pokémon back, that was.

After seizing a guard's passkey, Cheren threw the doors to the room open to see shelves and shelves lined with many bags, identical except for the numbers imprinted on them. He seized as many bags as he could from the area corresponding with the cells directly below them, and rushed out of the storage. His heart pounding with excitement, he threw the bags down in front of their matching cells, and hurried back for more. As he and Silver were returning with their third armful of Pokémon, Erika reached the end of the prison, with a trail of sleeping Cipher peons in her Victreebel's wake, and began opening the cells of prisoners who had been given Pokémon.

"You're free now!" Cheren shouted as he threw six more bags down, blazing with the spirit of a glorious revolutionary. "You're free from Cipher's grasp! Now, take back what's yours, and drive this evil away!"

His words were greeted with enthralled shouts as the prisoners sent out their Pokémon and charged the few remaining guards, who were standing back nervously. Cheren smiled as he watched over this justice, and quickly returned back to arm more prisoners.


	25. Chapter 23: Cross Country

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 23: Cross Country

Claire could hardly believe how lucky she had been as she walked away from her house with her group of friends. Not only had she convinced her parents to allow her to continue fighting Cipher, at least for the time being (Reinigen had been a deciding factor, though Claire had been surprised to learn that there were other, albeit significantly slower means of purification), but their only stipulation had been that they go with her, which she greatly preferred to leaving them again. Furthermore, Triton had appeared, and openly volunteered to help fight Cipher, which both lessened some of her fears about him and allowed her to be with the jerk for a while. And, to top it all off, no Cipher agents had shown up at her house, which left vague worries as to why they hadn't, but was a blessing she tried to avoid questioning.

No one spoke particularly much on the way out of Pallet Town. At least, not to Claire, they didn't. White and Bianca spoke to each other quietly, and her dad and mom would say something every now and then. Claire stayed close to her parents, relishing the comfort their presence brought. She hadn't realized how thoroughly she had missed them until she was with them again.

"Claire?" Triton said as they entered Route 1. "I've been wondering something, since we battled in Accumula Town. Why and how did you underlevel your Deino? I know it's not strong enough to have evolved naturally. Deino take a really long time to evolve. But yours did."

He paused here, apparently thinking. Claire had the sudden sensation of swallowing a lot of ice, followed by a resurgence of the complex mix of emotions that had accompanied Deino's evolution. She glanced up at her parents, and was relieved to see that, in their own conversation, they hadn't overheard Triton's question. She gradually began to fall back as she tried to work out how to explain what had happened to Triton.

"…I sat on the park bench in Accumula for a long time," Triton said after a few seconds. "I just sat there, thinking 'Why would she do that? That seems so unusual for her. She hates hurting Pokémon under any circumstances. So why would she do that?' I couldn't figure out why, so I stopped thinking about it. For a while. But I kept wondering again. And now I need to know."

"…I didn't," Claire finally whispered, once she thought she was a safe distance from her parents. "You promise you won't tell anyone this? Especially my mom and dad?"

"Why would I?" Triton said, half-chuckling. Claire looked urgently at him, hoping to convey the seriousness of this, and Triton held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, sure. I won't say anything. Just tell me."

"…Okay," Claire said, after taking a deep breath. "Well… W-we d-didn't go straight to Unova after we hid back in our old cave after you fought me. We a-actually went to C-Cipher's base in the northern mountains, s-since th-that was the only one we h-hadn't been to. We knew th-that was where they were m-making Sh-Shadow Pokémon, a-and we wanted to at least t-try to st-stop them, so… We went there first."

"I see," Triton said. "And why does this need to be so secret?"

"B-because…" Claire murmured. "B-because I c-came r-really close to d-d-dying there… A-and I don't w-want my p-parents to worry more."

"Dying? How?" Triton said quickly. If Claire hadn't known better, she might have thought he was worried.

"It's… k-kind of a long story," she whispered. "Just, basically, w-we wound up in a r-room with lots of ma-machines for t-tests and stuff when we g-got c-c-caught. Ardos's Alakazam had m-me and N h-held, and Ein the Sh-Shadow Lord was g-getting stuff r-ready to do tests o-on me and st-stuff. Deino was on this table, c-cause I'd tried to fight with her. Ardos j-just held her down, b-but she bit him and got away. Sh-she knew she was outmatched b-by A-Alakazam, s-so… sh-she un-underleveled herself. She j-jumped into a machine th-they had that Ein s-said f-f-forced P-Pokémon to evolve, a-and came out as a… as a Z-Zweilous."

Claire had to stop for a while here. She still felt terrible that her oldest friend had subjected herself to something so painful for her sake. At the same time, though, she was very touched by the act of selflessness. She wasn't entirely sure what she should feel.

Without really thinking about it, she clicked Zweilous's Pokéball and let the dark dragon walk along beside her. Her hand fell down to Zweilous's heads, and she scratched each in turn. Zweilous growled softly, and Claire knew that she understood.

"…She used B-Bite on A-Alakazam twice," Claire continued after a little, "and s-surprised him into dr-dropping me and N. N t-told us to run… I d-didn't wanna l-leave him, but I knew I should… S-so we did. We f-fought a little bit, but mostly we j-just ran. W-we got out and just kept running, until we got to our old cave. Th-then we just w-waited for N. We g-got worried that he hadn't g-gotten out… b-but he sh-showed back up after like half a day. _That's_ when we went to Unova."

"I see…" Triton said slowly. "Interesting."

They walked on in silence for a while longer, and Claire gradually made her way back toward her parents. She wasn't sure how she felt about keeping that part of her story from them, but she decided that it was better that way. So she kept quiet.

"Speaking of evolutions," Triton said after a while. "You know Karrablasts and Shelmets evolve, right?"

"Um…" Claire mumbled, again flustered at appearing less-than-brilliant. "Is there anything special to it?"

"You could say that," Triton said, smirking and raising his eyebrows. "They require a member of the other species. The evolutions can be induced through various means, like virtual trading or simple electrical shock, but wild ones just find another and evolve automatically. No one knows what makes them decide that they're ready."

"Okay…" Claire said, a bit confused, but able to generally follow what Triton was saying.

"Of course, you've probably already put two and two together," Triton said, making her blush slightly, as she didn't think she had. "I have a Karrablast. You have a Shelmet. Now would be a good time to evolve them."

"Oh! Right!" Claire exclaimed, feeling exceptionally slow. "I-I'll just…"

With that, she hastily released Shelmet into her hands, trying to ignore Triton's snickering. Shelmet looked around a bit nervously, but relaxed when she saw that a fight was not imminent.

"Hey, Shelly!" Claire said happily. "You know how Triton has a Karrablast? Well, he's here now. How would you feel about evolving?"

Shelmet jumped slightly, with a clear mixture of excitement and nervousness. Claire patted her gently for reassurance.

"If you don't wanna, that's really okay," she assured her small snail. "It's up to you."

Shelmet cried softly, with the same uneasy eagerness. She definitely wanted to evolve, but the idea of it also scared her. Claire thought about it for a moment, and decided that providing encouragement would ultimately be the best for Shelmet.

"You won't get hurt," she told her. "Shelmets evolve all the time. It'll be different, and new, but cool! If you wanna, you should definitely do it."

Shelmet was still notably nervous, but made a definitely affirmative noise. Claire smiled at her before nodding to Triton, who clicked a Pokéball to release his Karrablast into his hands. Just then, however, the group abruptly stopped moving, and White spoke up.

"Right, well, here's the gym," she announced, making Claire suddenly aware that they had already entered the city. "Me and B are gonna go tell the Leader what's going on. Claire, Triton, you guys can finish evolving your Pokémon first. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, I dunno, you guys do whatever."

As she was finishing, she and Bianca were already starting towards the gym doors. Claire recalled what the Viridian Gym Leader was like, and hoped that one of her parents had warned White and Bianca, or at least would go with them. Both, however, seemed unkeen to leave Claire outside, and Claire supposed that she couldn't blame them. In truth, however, she wanted just this moment with Triton.

"All right," Triton said, sitting down beneath a nearby tree and placing his Karrablast in front of him. "Let's get this done."

Claire quickly sat down facing Triton, setting Shelmet down on the grass. Karrablast jumped eagerly forward immediately, making Shelmet flinch back. Apparently noting this, Karrablast proceeded forward more slowly, with slightly quieter cries. Shelmet responded tentatively, and the two Bug-types went briefly back and forth. Claire could tell how Shelmet gradually warmed up to Karrablast, every now and then inching closer to him. Triton made occasional irritated noises, suggesting they move faster, but Claire would glare at him each time, and he would shrug and continue watching them.

Finally, Shelmet made a resolved noise, and Karrablast jumped happily before latching onto the upper part of Shelmet's armor with the pinchers on his head. Immediately, both bugs glowed with bright white light, but to Claire this was overcome after a fraction of a second by their auras, which grew significantly more radiant. Claire could just barely make out the forms of the two evolving Pokémon. Shelmet's shell seemed to fold off of her and wrap itself around Karrablast, both growing larger as this happened. Their bodies began to change shape, but their blazing auras became too much for Claire, and she had to turn away. After a few more seconds and an intense flash, their auras died back down to a normal level, and Claire turned back to see her Accelgor floating a few inches off the ground before Triton's Escavalier.

"Wow…" Claire murmured as Accelgor turned to her. "How do you feel, um, Celly?"

Accelgor glanced around nervously, keeping her new arms tightly crossed and shivering slightly as she slowly touched the ground. Several strands of a fleshy bluish material fluttered around her, which, once she noticed them, she hastily wrapped around her body. She looked back at Claire and made a soft, energetic-yet-awkward noise.

"You're cold?" Claire almost-laughed. "I guess that makes sense, without your shell. You like feeling so light, though?"

Accelgor nodded with a cheery cry, before experimentally hopping forward. She easily flew over Claire's head, apparently landing quite far away, but returned to Claire's side before she could even turn around. Claire smiled down at her newly-evolved Pokémon, rubbing her head gently, before recalling her back to her Pokéball. She saw Triton admiring his Escavalier for a moment longer before doing the same.

"You kids ready?" Claire's dad spoke up, suddenly reminding Claire that he was there. "Let's head into the gym, then. See how they're dealing with him…"

Claire then followed her dad into the gym alongside Triton, with her mom right behind them. She saw that the gym's weird arrow tiles were already active, and that White and Bianca were just getting to the end of the room. White, unsurprisingly, was shouting at the Leader, her voice very audible even across the room.

"Okay, now that we've wasted enough time getting through you _extremely _unnecessary warp tile maze thing-" White began, but was quickly cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, we can battle. You better have the other seven Kanto badges though. If not, you just spent a whole lot of time doing nothin' for no reason."

"We aren't here to battle! I shouted that to you plenty of times!"

"Can't hear ya across the room," he shrugged. "And if ya ain't gonna battle, you're just wasting my time."

"Okay, first, that's Bouffalant shit!" White spat. "And second-"

"She's gonna need help," Claire's dad laughed, shaking his head. "Let's head over there."

With that, he headed for one of the arrow tiles. Claire followed behind him, but just before he set foot on it Triton spoke up.

"That tile's not going to get you anywhere," he said, his expression mildly bemused. "That'll take you almost directly back. Obviously, we should start with this one."

"Oh really?" Claire's dad said, glaring down at Triton. "And you're so sure of this how?"

"It's _obvious_. I mean, if you even _look_ at it."

"You'll wanna watch your tongue, kid," he said bitterly. "I could wipe out your team with one Pokémon."

"Oh, you could beat up a _ten-year old_ after a life of training. That's both unique and menacing."

"You wanna-" he started, but Claire's mom laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Wes, let it go. If he knows how to get through, let him show us."

"Mmph, fine. Lead the way, kid, if you're so brilliant."

Claire wasn't quite sure what to make of this exchange. As she was thrown across the room by the strange tiles after Triton, it occurred to her that she hadn't really seen Triton talk to anyone but her very much. She realized that he obviously would've been as insulting to everyone as he was to her, but… something about it put her off a bit. She couldn't place it.

He had certainly been right about the path, however. After no more than five minutes, including Claire's dad wiping the floor with one trainer they couldn't avoid, they had reached the area where gym battles were held, and where Bianca stood watching White argue with the Gym Leader.

"Didn't sound like she was getting anywhere," Claire's dad chuckled, startling Bianca.

"Um, no, not really," Bianca admitted. "He's… not very helpful."

"That's putting it one way," he mumbled. "All right, I'll see if I can do something."

Claire inwardly giggled as her dad approached the Gym Leader. Her dad was one of the few people the Viridian Leader had some small degree of respect for, even if it was very begrudging. He'd surely listen to him.

"Hey, Blue," he called out. "Listen up."

"Eh?" the Gym Leader said, distracted from his ongoing argument. "Oh, Wes. What do you want? And what's the whole family here for?"

"You know this jackass?" White asked, also turning.

"I know this jackass," Claire's dad snickered. "And don't repeat that, Claire. Right, Blue-"

"Hey, that's _Leader_ Blue to you," Leader Blue interrupted.

"Fine. _Leader_ Blue," he added. "Listen to what she's got to say. It actually matters, a lot."

"Mmmm… Nah. Don't really feel like it," he dismissed. "Now get outta here. I got a gym to run, and you're blocking challengers. So-"

"If you won't listen to _her_," Claire's dad cut in threateningly, "you'll listen to _me_. Okay?"

"Okay, okay, jeeze," Blue gave in. "But make it quick, or I'll kick you out."

Claire's dad then began explaining about Cipher, trying to get through all the important points before Blue's interest waned. Every now and then he would turn to White and ask her to fill in a detail or two. By the time he had finished, Blue looked barely fazed.

"Meh," he said. "Doesn't really sound like my kind of thing."

"Doesn't sound like _your kind of-_" White began furiously. "The hell is that supposed to mean? You're an Arceus-damned _Gym Leader_! This is _exactly_ your kind of thing!"

"Taking down evil teams ain't part of a Gym Leader's job description," he said. "I'm not into that sort of hero stuff. That's more Red's deal. Go find him. Smell ya later."

"Your whole _region_ is gonna be taken over by these psychos!" White shouted. "And you don't want to do _anything _about it?"

"Don't have to. They're an _evil team_," he snickered. "When has an evil team _anywhere_ ever actually won? And when have I ever done anything to stop them?"

"How am I supposed to-"

"Never!" Blue interrupted. "It only ever takes one stupidly stubborn trainer. Kanto'll be fine even without my help."

"You don't know Cipher," Claire's dad insisted. "I've fought them before, back in Orre. They're _very_ dangerous, and they've only gotten worse this time. It took me and Rui to stop them, and it was _ridiculously_ exhausting, and we almost failed several times. That was when they were only in one region. This isn't something one trainer can do."

"Mmmm… Still not impressed. So smell ya later. That means get out, or I'll throw you out."

Both White and Claire's dad threw their arms into the air in frustration, and Claire couldn't help but agree. She knew how decidedly unhelpful Blue Oak was, but had hoped that he would understand the gravity of the threat and actually be willing to do something. She was actually somewhat angry at him, which was a rather alien feeling in her when not directed at Cipher. She wanted to say something to make him help, but couldn't think of what.

"Um, hey, Leader Blue?" Bianca suddenly spoke up, without her usual tentativeness. "Listen, I mean, even if you don't wanna do any fighting and stuff, could you like at least tell the people of Viridian City about Cipher? Cause, I mean, that's like the most important thing, is letting people know about them, cause they're mostly so dangerous cause no one knows about them, and, yeah."

"Meh," Blue said. "Will it make you all shut up and leave me alone?"

"Oh, yes!" Bianca assured him. Claire was stunned for a moment at how simple this all could've been, and how no one but Bianca had realized it.

"Fine then. Whatever. I'll tell everyone about your dumb evil team. Smell ya later."

"Oh, thank you!" Bianca said graciously. Blue merely shrugged.

"I'm putting this on _you_, Wes!" he shouted as Claire and everyone turned to leave. "If you're lying or you're wrong, it'll be your neck, not mine!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Claire's dad called back, as they all stepped onto the tiles to carry them back to the exit. Claire hurried after her dad and White, who were leading the way, with Bianca on her right side and her mother on her left, while Triton followed behind.

"You know…" Bianca said as they neared the entrance to Route 2. "I don't wanna question y'all's willingness to help, but how come y'all believed us all straight-away about Cipher? I mean, Leader Blue seemed like he trusted you, Mr. Thomas, but why'd you guys trust us?"

"You'd be quick to trust the people who safely returned your daughter to you, too," Claire's mom answered, making Claire blush slightly. "Claire also supported your story, and we trust her. And your fear of Cipher was very real."

"Yeah, and on top of that, you already knew stuff that _we_ already knew about Cipher, like their Shadow Pokémon," her dad added. "You wouldn't know that if you hadn't fought them. But you're wrong about one thing. You shouldn't be too quick to accept help from people whose motives aren't clear. Questioning is good."

"Oh, I see, okay," Bianca said uncertainly. "I guess that all makes sense. Thanks."

By then, they had reached the edge of Viridian Forest. Claire's hand instinctively brushed Reinigen's Pokéball as they entered the maze of trees. There was something comforting about passing through here, where her whole adventure had begun, as the endgame for Kanto drew near.

"Ugh, thick forest," White mumbled as they proceeded farther. "It's gonna take way too long to get through."

"Oh, I can lead here!" Claire exclaimed. "I know this place really good!"

With that, she hurried forward, dashing along the most direct path through the forest she knew. She kept looking back to make sure her parents and friends were close as she skipped through the tall grass, dense shrubs, and thick trees. She paused when she reached the clearing that she knew roughly marked the halfway point, reflecting on accidentally kicking the box that contained Februa's egg in that exact spot.

"Hey, White, Mom, Dad, here's where-" she began, turning around to face her companions, but abruptly trailed off when she caught sight of the badly scarred face surrounded by deep blue hair that was lurking just behind her group. Her breathing immediately grew shallow and she began trembling slightly, which her mother was quick to take note of as they all entered the clearing.

"Claire? What's wrong?" she asked, but another voice called out before Claire could answer, dowsing her with even more terror.

"Attack!" Ardos shrieked. "Take the girl and her mother alive! Kill the rest!"

The moment he spoke, Cipher peons began pouring into the little clearing from all sides. Claire's dad leapt in front of her, and Claire soon found herself in the middle of a ring formed by White, Bianca, her parents, and Triton, still frozen in fear.

"You picked a terrible time to be a coward, Claire," Triton hissed at her, as his Machoke joined the battle. His words shattered her stupor like a stone hurled at a mirror, and she stood thinking for a moment.

He was right. She shouldn't- _couldn't_ be a coward now. She couldn't keep being afraid of Cipher. Her friends were in danger now, and she certainly wasn't about to let them all right while she hid in their shadows. No. She was going to fight. She was going to beat the bad guys. _She was going to save everyone_.

Her fearful trembles became ones of righteous anger, and her hands curled into fists, which she unclenched just long enough to seize Accelgor's Pokéball. She pushed her way between Triton and her dad, and refused to be afraid as she flung the Pokéball into battle.

* * *

><p>Under Zoroark's illusion, Janine was not given a second glance as she and Surge hurried to the eastern edge of Vermilion City. A few people followed Surge with their eyes, doubtlessly wondering where their Gym Leader was going when the gym was due to be open in just over an hour, but no one, of course, questioned him. No one, that was, until they reached the gate to Route 11.<p>

"Oh, good morning, Lt. Surge!" the guard greeted, in a tone Janine thought was just a little too friendly. "May I ask where you're headed so early?"

"Yeah, you can ask," Surge growled. "And I can tell you to mind your own damn business."

The guard looked quite taken aback, and Janine would have worried that Surge had been too suspicious if he wasn't so prone to bitter moods. She then had to remind herself that it was only marginally likely that the gate guards were working for Cipher, and just silently followed him onto Route 11 with Zoroark at her side.

"Maybe not so angry next time," she quietly suggested.

"Hey, it _wasn't_ any of his business!" Surge insisted. Janine just shrugged and supposed that that would have to suffice.

As they strode down the grassy route (and whenever no one was within earshot), Janine filled Surge in on more details about Cipher: their use of Shadow Pokémon, that they had taken over Silph Co, that Hoenn and Orre had already fallen to them, and such things. Every new piece of information seemed to make Surge even more outraged, and even more fiercely determined to put a stop to their plans. By the time they had reached the docks and bridges of Route 12 and she'd told him everything she knew, his vehemence almost even frightened Janine.

She started to think about her father as they nearer Lavender Town. She wished that she'd had enough time to see him first, but she knew this plan was better. Telling him, and by extension the Elite Four, about Cipher would certainly be helpful, but everyone needed to know, and the Radio Tower was the only way to tell all of Kanto quickly enough. Even so, she would have liked to have had him with her as well as Surge. He was probably the best trainer she knew, and she was confident that nothing could go wrong with him there. But he was on the other side of Kanto. She and Surge would have to strong enough to take on any threat Cipher threw at them.

As soon as they set foot in Lavender Town, Janine couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Admittedly, she'd had that feeling since she had broken out of Celadon Penitentiary, but her unease amplified as they walked through the town. She tried to assure herself that this was just paranoia associated with being so close to their goal, but… she didn't really believe it.

Janine hadn't been to Lavender Town in quite some time, but had heard that the Radio Tower had been fully open to the public for a while. It was thus to her surprise that she saw a burly guard standing in front of the door with a Marowak at his side, who show little inclination to allow anyone through. Her immediate fear was that he was an agent of Cipher, waiting for them, but she quickly calmed herself and instead analyzed the guard. By his tense and ready-to-fight stance, Janine could tell easily that, Cipher agent or not, he would be easily intimidated by Surge.

"Step aside, punk," Surge said upon reaching the tower, apparently opting to start with politeness. "Got an important message for the people of Kanto."

"I can't do that," the guard said, notably reluctantly. "Strict orders. No one's allowed in unless they've got a broadcast license, or have been formally invited by someone with one. The Radio Tower doesn't accept visitors at this time."

"…You know who I am?" Surge fumed. "I'm the Gym Leader of Vermilion City! Now, you will stand down and let us pass. That's an order!"

"I-I don't take orders from you," the guard stuttered. "I can't let you p-pass."

Surge stared the guard down, and Janine had to hold her hand over her mouth to hide her chuckling as the guard flinched back. The guard swallowed twice and inhaled deeply once before speaking.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. It would be more than my job to let you or your mother through. Er, security is taken very seriously."

That he was clearly hiding something significantly furthered Janine's suspicions that Cipher was in control of the Radio Tower. Surge didn't seem to care either way, and continued to glare at the guard.

"Soldier, we are on the brink of a national crisis. You will _stand down_ and allow us access, or I will take you out and go through anyway. Do you understand me?"

"…I'm sorry, sir," the guard said with clear fear. "Marowak, get ready, and-"

"Ice Punch, Electivire!" Surge shouted, and his gigantic Thunderbolt Pokémon launched the guard's Marowak against the tower with a frigid fist. The guard stood terrified for a moment before recalling his Marowak and sending out, surprisingly enough, two more Marowak. Janine shook her head at his fatal lack of type diversity before whispering to the "Houndoom" at her side.

"Erm, what moves do you know? Like, can you Night Slash one of them or something?"

Zoroark responded by blasting the Marowak that hadn't been taken out by another Ice Punch yet with a jet of darkness. The Night Daze attack spared Surge's Electivire the moderate damage it would've sustained had the Marowak's Bone Rush hit, allowing it to finish the brief battle with another Ice Punch. The guard apparently lacked any more Pokémon, as he just stood nervously until Surge recalled his Electivire and pushed him out of the way. He made a rather pitiful noise that actually made Janine feel sorry for the poor guy, but Surge glared back at him, and he protested no further.

"Wh-what's going on?" the receptionist said in shock as soon as they entered. "I heard a commotion. Are you authorized to be in here? There aren't any shows on right now…"

"Authorized?" Surge boomed. "Doesn't matter! We've got an important message for the people of Kanto!"

"Errr, right," she said doubtfully. Janine noticed that she was pressing a button underneath her desk. "Well, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Stop pressing that button," Janine cut in. "Don't make us beat up your security."

She stopped pressing the button, but by then it didn't matter. Two security guards with another Marowak and a Nuzleaf at their sides emerged from the elevator, making Janine and Surge step forward to fight. Just then, three police officers (meaning _Cipher agents_, Janine thought bitterly) came bursting into the lobby, leaving the two Gym Leaders surrounded.

"Damn it, Janine, you better be right about these Cipher guys controlling the police," Surge murmured to her. "Raichu, Grass Knot on Marowak! Jolteon, Signal Beam on Nuzleaf!"

Not for a second did Janine doubt that she was right as she stood back-to-back with Surge, taking on the police as Surge fought the security. She immediately grabbed another Pokéball and threw it next to Zoroark. She certainly hoped that she was lucky when Altaria appeared to help Zoroark fight a two Glalie and a Seviper. She wracked her brains for a moment trying to recall anything about N's Pokémon's movesets, which gave the Cipher agents time to attack first.

"You're just asking for trouble, granny," the lead one said. "Poison Tail 'em, Seviper!"

The other two both ordered Ice Shard attacks, which rapidly sprayed Janine and both Pokémon. Altaria was hurt rather badly, and Janine realized that she needed to give an order soon.

"Uh, you know Focus Blast, right, um, Hound- aw crap," she spluttered, realizing that the illusion had been disrupted. "Use that on a Glalie!"

Zoroark neatly avoided the Seviper's lashing tail and defended Altaria from another attack with a blast of energy. The other Glalie moved in, and Zoroark was again distracted by the Seviper, but Altaria flew out of the way.

"We have confirmation that the suspect is in fact the escapee Janine Doku," the leader said into a Pokégear watch. "Requesting backup at the Radio Tower."

"Aw, _crap_," Janine shouted to herself. "Uh, Altaria, anything good against Ice, use it! Like, I dunno, Steel Wing? Iron Tail? Flamethrower?"

Right then, just before the Glalie could attack, Altaria opened her mouth to let out a soft note and a stream of flame. The Glalie barely managed to remain conscious, for a moment, but fainted from its intense burns.

"All right, Flamethrower," Janine said to herself. "I'll remember that."

She turned just quickly enough to see Zoroark get slashed across the face with Seviper's sharp tail. She could tell that he had been poisoned before he even realized it, but also knew that she couldn't worry about that just yet.

"Quick, Night Daze!" she shouted, and the snake was instantly thrown back by a blast of dark energy. Altaria and Zoroark drew closer as the Cipher-police prepared to send out their next Pokémon, but Surge abruptly grabbed Janine's shoulder and dragged her forward.

"I'll hold these bastards off!" he bellowed. "Get to the top and tell Kanto what's attacking her!"

"Awesome," Janine said quickly. "Let's go, guys."

She took off past the defeated guards with Zoroark and Altaria at her side. She knew better than to take the elevator, which could be easily switched off, and instead began sprinting up the stairs. As she reached the second floor, she heard Zoroark moan slightly, and suddenly remembered the poison.

"Ah, frickin, hang on a sec," she mumbled, reaching into her pockets. She quickly withdrew her bottle of general-purpose antidote and hastily splashed some of it across Zoroark's bleeding wound. The unpleasant purple swelling quickly died down, and Zoroark's energy notably returned. This accomplished, she hurriedly led them up to the second floor.

Janine had only been in the tower later in the evenings, for some guest appearances on shows and a few interviews, and wasn't sure how usual it was for the second floor to be largely deserted. She quickly disregarded this, however, and hurried on. The emergency broadcast station, she knew at least, was on the fifth floor.

On the third floor, she could hear several different types of music playing muffled from various rooms. This floor had a few more people, who looked at her curiously as she dashed to the stairs and ran up to the fourth floor. The second she set foot on the landing, however, the elevator doors opened, and three security guards blocked her path to the next flight of stairs with yet another Marowak, another Nuzleaf, and, uniquely enough, an Arcanine.

"Hold it right there, missy," the first one said, sparking her anger. She thoroughly detested any belittling terms like that. They all issued some commands, but she couldn't make out any of them.

"Flamethrower the Nuzleaf!" Janine immediately shouted, not wanting to lose the first turn. "And, uh, Night Daze whoever!"

The jet of fire singed the Nuzleaf's legs as it leapt into the air, flinched forward, and delivered a Faint Attack. Zoroark, meanwhile, loafed for a few moments (giving Janine the somewhat paranoid impression that he was mocking her) before beginning to attack, which gave the Arcanine enough time to smash him with a violet Flare Blitz. He was notably injured, but, after grappling with the fire dog briefly, he managed to fend it off with Night Daze. Janine then saw the Marowak hurl its bone club, and called it out to Zoroark. Fortunately, he listened, and leapt out of the way, but it smacked him across the face as it came circling back. At this point, she realized that Altaria had been idle for several seconds, and hastily shouted again.

"Just, use the same attacks, both of you!"

The Nuzleaf, which had been peppering Altaria with Faint Attacks, was then summarily torched with another Flamethrower. The Marowak struck Zoroark first, smashing him repeatedly with Bone Rush. Janine hurriedly told him to attack the Marowak instead, and was very grateful when he did so with minimal hesitation. As soon as the Bone Keeper Pokémon was thrown off, however, the Arcanine, quite injured from the Night Daze and his own Flare Blitz, lunged at Zoroark with a vicious Reversal attack. The illusion fox was sent flying several feet, and did not rise when he crashed to the ground.

"…_Crap_," Janine said softly, filled with innumerable worries as she recalled N's Zoroark. "Uh, Altaria, use, uh, I dunno, Dragon Claw? Breath? Pulse?"

The Marowak leapt up high, ready to use Smack Down, but it was blasted out of the air by Dragon Pulse. The force of the attack critically snapped its head back, and when it fell to the floor it too fainted. By then, the Nuzleaf had been replaced by yet another Marowak (furthering Janine's contempt of standard-issue Pokémon), and the fainted Marowak was recalled for a unique Croagunk. Janine took this time to send out another of N's Pokémon, which turned out to be Breloom.

"Altaria, keep that Arcanine the hell away from Breloom!" Janine shouted. "Breloom, uh, hit the Marowak with, um, Seed Bomb? Giga-?"

Janine gratefully noted her lucky first guess as Breloom knocked out the Marowak with one devastating Seed Bomb. The Arcanine launched a Flare Blitz at Breloom, but Altaria took the attack and sent it back with a Dragon Pulse. Janine was surprised when it returned to its feet, and wondered whether it might be a Shadow Pokémon. As Breloom turned around, however, a swift Poison Jab from the Croagunk knocked her back and dazed her.

"Altaria! Quick, Aerial Ace or Pluck or Sky Attack or Fly or something!"

Altaria swiftly soared up to the ceiling before diving down at the Croagunk. This gave the poison frog enough time to give Breloom another Poison Jab, which left the Mushroom Pokémon barely standing and poisoned. Janine bit her lip, praying that Breloom had the right ability. The Croagunk moved in again, but Altaria slashed it across the chest, taking it out in a single hit as well. Breloom stood dazed for a moment, but shook her head and gained focus as her two severe injuries began to close up. Janine let at a whoop, thankful for a Poison Heal ability for the first time in her life.

"Awesome!" she cheered. "Now, Dragon Pulse, Altaria! And Breloom, uh, Brick Break? Force Palm? Dynamic Punch?"

As Altaria hit the Arcanine with a blast of draconic energy that it somehow withstood, Breloom merely lucked perplexedly at Janine. This kept her from seeing the Arcanine as it charged towards her with a suicidal Flare Blitz, and Janine let out an incomprehensible shout that managed to convey to Altaria to take the hit (or perhaps, Janine thought, Altaria just did it on her own). Regardless, the attack hurt the Arcanine far more than anyone else, and it finally collapsed.

While the two who had used Marowaks appeared to be out of Pokémon and just quietly shuffled to the side, the guard with the probably-Shadow Arcanine switched his fainted Pokémon out for a Froslass. Janine recalled the Glalie that the "police officers" had used, and suspected that the Snorunt line was common amongst Cipher.

"Uh, crap," she mumbled. "Uh, Breloom, um, Seed Bomb, right? And Altaria, Flame-"

Before she could even finish her command, however, a barrage of Ice Shards rained down on both of N's Pokémon. Breloom managed to get a Seed Bomb attack in before she fell to the ice, but Altaria was taken down immediately. She grimaced as she recalled both Pokémon, dodged a volley of Ice Shards aimed at her, and sent out one more Pokémon.

Thankfully, it wasn't Zekrom, as Janine didn't think that he would fit in the room. Instead, N's Camerupt appeared to take on the ice ghost.

"Okay, Camerupt, we can do this," Janine said with forced confidence. "Uh, Overheat!"

Camerupt merely grunted, sounding either angry or confused, while the Froslass blew a current of Icy Wind at him. Janine bit her lip and hurried to give a new order.

"Erm, Flamethrower! Or Fire Blast!"

Again, Camerupt just grunted at Janine, his damaging from the cold gales become notable. Janine frantically thought around for more Fire-type moves Camerupt could learn.

"Flame Burst! Lava Plume! Uhh… Heat Wave?"

At this point, Camerupt actually turned to Janine to glare at her. As she desperately wracked her brains, she began to worry that he simply wouldn't listen when she finally figured out what his Fire attack was.

"Uhhh…" she muttered. "Oh! Eruption?"

Camerupt finally gave her a nod that Janine chose to interpret as "Oh, why didn't you say so?" and turned around to blast a violent stream of molten rock and fire into the air. The attack wasn't nearly as powerful as it could've been, given the damage Camerupt had sustained, but the super-effectiveness badly scorched the Froslass. Before it could recover, he used Eruption again, and finally managed to finish it off.

"Hmm. Well," the lead guard said as he recalled his Pokémon. "This is bad."

"Hell yeah!" Janine cheered. "We did it, guys! Let's go!"

With that, she recalled Camerupt and charged at the stairs. The guards hastened to move out of her way, and she tore her way up to the fifth floor. She knew exactly where the emergency broadcast room was from when she'd been called to give advice on poison safety during the major Ariados outbreak a couple years back, and immediately barged into the luckily-empty room. Without the slightest hesitation, she hit the "go live" button, switched the microphone on, and began to rattle off the speech she'd had half-prepared in the back of her mind for a while.

"Attention, people of Kanto!" she said, in as serious and authoritative a voice as she could muster. "This is Janine Doku, Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, speaking to warn you all about a major crisis we have on our hands.

"As you might've heard already, the Fuchsia Gym was almost completely destroyed last night in a huge explosion. You might've also heard that the Kanto police arrested me shortly afterwards. What you probably _didn't_ hear was that the one's wearing police uniforms were the ones who _blew up my gym_. The police, in fact, have been corrupt for a long time now. Didn't anyone notice how there've been a lot of police retirements, and a lot new ones signing up? How there've been a lot of arrests, but not too many trials? Maybe you never really thought about it?

"Truth is, an evil organization reminiscent of Team Rocket has taken over a lot of Kanto. Except they're called _Cipher_, and unlike Team Rocket they don't go running around the streets with uniforms. They're a _secret_ evil organization. So far, they've taken over the police and the prisons. I've _been_ in the Celadon Penitentiary, arrested for a crime these people committed, and I can _tell_ you that they're being completely run by Cipher.

"They've also taken over Silph Co. Anyone wonder why they suddenly stopped letting any visitors in? It's because Cipher's using it to work on their evil experiments! The worst of those is their _Shadow Pokémon_, which look just like regular Pokémon, but have been through painful tests that turn them into emotionless killing machines. Even the Radio Tower, where I speak now, is under their influence. I had to fight my way up here to tell you all this.

"You can't trust the police! You can't trust the guards at every gate! You can't trust the prison guards! Cipher's watching everywhere, and they're planning to violently conquer Kanto, just like they did with Hoenn and Orre! Wonder why you haven't been able to call your cousin in Ever Grande City? It's because it's under Cipher's total control! We've got to-"

"Janine?" a voice suddenly called from behind. Janine abruptly whirled around, ready to fight to the death, when, to her enormous relief, she saw her dad standing in the doorway with his Muk. Exhaling deeply, she smiled as she called "Just a sec" into the microphone and rushed to hug her father.

"Oh dad, you wouldn't _believe_ what's happened since I saw you!" she chuckled. "I've missed you tons. _So_ much stuff would've been easier if you were there. You heard all that stuff, though, right?"

"I certainly did, and I've missed you as well," he said, rubbing her head before letting her go. "Lt. Surge has already told me what's going on. That was ambitious of you. May I announce something?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, just a sec," Janine said, hopping back to the microphone. "And now, my father, Koga of the Elite Four, has more to say regarding Cipher!"

Her dad nodded at her before approaching the mic. Janine's grin practically melted off her face, however, when, just before her dad spoke, his Muk seized her from behind, holding her back forcefully. She began spluttering in confusion, but a slimy arm slapped across her mouth, and she could do no more than let out muffled shouts.

"I apologize for my daughter. None of what she has told you is true. She made a mistake in fighting the police to save a terrorist, and she always comes up with elaborate ways to get out of trouble. Disregard her reckless lies."

Each word was a sharp punch in Janine's stomach. It couldn't be true, it couldn't be, that just wasn't her dad. Her dad was a good trainer, he was brave and kind, he would never… but what he had said… It _couldn't_ be…

"I'm sorry, Janine," he said after turning the microphone off, breaking the last of Janine's resolve. "This is just something too big for you to understand. I didn't want to have to do this to you."

"_But you did,"_ Janine thought, tears beginning to form. _"But you did. You really are… one of them…"_

* * *

><p>After Carracosta's violent death, N found Petrel to be a surprisingly empathetic and caring friend. Having seen his friend Archer's death, he really understood the pain and regret, and at times found words to adequately describe something that eluded N. And he was almost as good as White at making him feel less agonizingly guilty.<p>

New guilt would stir up at the thought of White. Ever since they left Unova, he really had just made things more difficult for her and added to her stress. On at least one occasion, his argument had been legitimate, but in most of their fights he had been, as White had put it, a complete child. There were a lot of things about the world and people and "the way things worked" that he didn't really understand, and in that sense he would likely always be a child. But as he looked back on the past few days, he realized that he hadn't really learned anything from his first defeat by White, and was still always completely certain that he was right. It was only in retrospect that he could see faults in his arguments. In that sense, he really needed to grow up. White was right about that, as she very often was. She did, after all, embody truth, and oftentimes painful truth. If he and White could learn to balance and compliment each other, rather than fight over every decision, they would become unstoppable. As he lay on his bed, staring at the cell's ceiling, he promised that he would find a way to do that.

"…Somethin's goin' on out there," Petrel spoke up slowly. "Oh! Someone's got out! Two someones! No, three someones! They're makin' their way down to this end! And shit, they got Pokémon!"

"Who is it?" N asked, quickly sitting up. "Is it Cheren or Silver?"

"Dunno. There's a red-haired boy and a black-haired boy, an' someone farther back. They got a Typhlosion an' a Serperior."

N rushed to the cell door, and saw to his delight that it was in fact Cheren and Silver fighting their way through the guards rather easily. First Janine had escaped, and now the other two who had been captured with him. Now he just had to get himself and Petrel out with the Sleep Powder Janine had slipped him.

"Wait, it looks like they're headin' upstairs," Petrel said confusedly. "Ain't they tryin' to get out?"

They were out of sight by the time N tried to locate them again. He looked around at the defeated guards, trying to see any chance of escaping. He didn't see anything, and was about to lay down again, when-

"Holy shit! They… They're givin' people their Pokémon back! They're breaking people out! They're startin' a fuckin' prison break!"

N's heart leapt as he gazed down at the end of the prison, where a woman in a kimono was freeing prisoners as Cheren and Silver tossed bags of Pokéballs down to them. The freed prisoners quickly engaged and defeated the few remaining guards, and then proceeded to help with retrieving the Pokémon. N and Petrel's cell was opened very soon, though N saw with a sinking feeling that only Petrel's Pokémon had been returned. Could Ariana have…?

But N pushed that thought away and focused on positives. The more prisoners who were freed, the faster that even more became freed, and in almost no time at all and with surprisingly little resistance, the every cell was empty. The freed, chanting and cheering, quickly made their way outside.

N stayed close to Petrel, who was happily hugging his Weezing, as the crowd flowed to the exit. As far as he could tell, he was the only one who didn't get his Pokémon back, and couldn't stop worrying about where they might be.

A huge stone wall blocked their way, but with no guards and several hundred Pokémon smashing it, it wasn't long before a sufficiently large hole was torn in it to allow them all freedom. Petrel was practically singing as he set foot outside, and N couldn't help but be happy that all these people Cipher had detained for so long were finally liberated.

N had just enough time to be surprised that they were in Celadon City, not on Cinnabar Island, before Janine's voice tore through the air and tumult, sounding above everything from its many sources. N knew at the first word that Janine had succeeded where he had failed, and reached the Lavender Radio Tower.

"Attention, people of Kanto!" she began, with the authority of a Gym Leader, and proceeded to unmask the evil that was Cipher to the entire Kanto region. N couldn't even begin to describe his elation, knowing that, in one fell swoop, Cipher's secrecy was shattered. The escapees rapidly spread throughout the city, vehemently affirming Janine's words. However, police quickly confronted them, fighting them with both words and Pokémon. Many citizens seemed outraged at this, while others were just confused. When Janine's voice suddenly stopped, Cheren's rang out across the crowd in its place.

"To Saffron City!" he cried. "We need to support her claims! Head to Saffron City!"

N hurried toward the source of Cheren's voice, making sure not to lose Petrel, and found him arguing with Silver when they neared the edge of Celadon.

"No!" Silver was shouting. "You do whatever the hell you want with your little revolution. I'm _done_ here. I'm going to go find my boyfriend, which'll probably help you more anyway. But I'm done dealing with _you_."

"But-" Cheren began, but was instantly interrupted.

"Done!" Silver yelled, sending out his Crobat. He gave Cheren one last contemptuous glare before grabbing his Crobat's feet and swiftly soaring away. Cheren watched him for a moment, shrugged, and then began running forward with the crowd.

"Cheren!" N called out, making him stop abruptly. The second N caught up with him, he started running again.

"Oh, N," he said, almost annoyed. "What is it?"

"I was wondering," N said quickly, "if you saw my Pokémon, or know what happened to them."

"Oh, right. That," Cheren said. "I don't _know_, but I can guess. They're probably with Janine."

"How do you-" N began, but Cheren was already explaining.

"For one, I have Janine's Pokémon right here," he said, shaking a bag. "She broke out without them. She also mentioned that she fought, which could've been with poisons, but more likely was with Pokémon, and yours were the only ones missing. Also, Ariana still had yours with her when she went to talk to Janine, and Janine definitely left with one of these bags."

"Oh. That's good," N said, genuinely relieved. "Could I take Janine's Pokémon for now, then?"

"Sure," Cheren said, tossing N the bag. Just then, as they led the crowd onto Route 7, another voice rang out from every radio, TV, and Pokégear in Kanto. It was the Elite Four Koga, and to N's horror, he asserted that Janine had been lying. The mob of escapees began to shout in outrage, and they collectively doubled their pace towards Saffron City.

The streets were already fairly crowded when they arrived, filled with people confused about the emergency announcements. Several were talking or arguing with the police, apparently not completely convinced by their assertions. Once Cheren led the escapees in, however, shouting their agreement with Janine, things became much less orderly. It made N rather nervous, but he hurried on with Petrel behind Cheren.

They soon reached the most obvious destination, the Silph Co building. They passed several moderately large Pokémon battles, but around Silph the crowd was merely arguing with someone who stood in front of the door. N lost track of Cheren as he and Petrel made their way towards the front of the cluster of people around Silph. N's rage flared when he saw that the man at the door was the despicable Shadow Lord Ein, the primary evil genius behind the creation of Shadow Pokémon.

"Silph does not allow visitors at this time. Many of our projects must be kept secret. It's a simple as that. While I am the President of Silph, the company is not in league with any criminal organizations."

"They used to allow visitors!" someone shouted.

"Yeah, until you took over!"

"What's got to be so secret, huh?"

"There were never secrets from the people before!"

"Silph's policies have changed," Ein said tersely. "Now leave Silph's property, or you will be removed from it."

"I don't think so!"

"We wanna see what's going on!"

"Yeah, let us-"

The crowd's objections were silenced as the fearsome cry of Kyogre rent through the air. Immediately, storm clouds began looming over the city. While N was horrified to know that Cipher had captured Legendaries in Hoenn, he thought this was a rather foolish move. Where would he have captured that Pokémon but Hoenn, the very place he had been accused of helping conquer?

"Leave Silph's property," Ein repeated, as rain began to fall. "Or be removed from it."

"Fuck no!" Petrel alone shouted. "You Cipher bastards are _outta here_!"

With that, his Weezing summoned a bolt of Thunder that struck Kyogre and threw Ein off balance. He immediately followed it with a Sludge Bomb that blasted Ein into the building. The whole crowd began sending out their Pokémon, and charged into Silph Co by force. Ein burst back out after a few seconds, blocking the entrance menacingly with Kyogre, but his Pokégear suddenly rang. N's heart nearly stopped when Ghetsis's voice echoed from it.

"Silph is lost. Have critical projects transferred immediately. Then return to Mountain Base."

"…I'm going to trust your judgment," Ein said bitterly. "But we're going to have problems if this doesn't go well."

With that, he pressed a button on his Pokégear, muttered "Code Yellow", and leapt into the air. He landed on his Altaria and recalled Kyogre simultaneously, before soaring off to the north. N was barely aware of any of this, as that cold, commanding voice had utterly frozen him. People continued to pour into Silph Co, while N stood motionless outside.

"Uh, we goin' in there, man?" Petrel asked, jolting N out of his daze. He was still terrified to have confirmation that… _he_ really was one of Cipher's leaders, but knew that there were more important things going on. Sighing deeply, he considered Petrel's question for a moment.

"No," he said. "I think Cheren's leading some people north, to Cerulean. Let's go there."

"Uh, mkay," Petrel said uncertainly. "Any special reason?"

"It feels right," was all N could reply.

"All right, man. That's good enough for me," Petrel conceded. "You're probably the nicest and smartest guy I've met, man. I'll follow you anywhere."

This made N feel rather touched, and helped to dispel the fear that had settled over his heart. He noticed again, with some regret, that the fight against Cipher here was, if possible, far more destructive than the one in Unova. Unova's liberation had been the result of battles; Kanto's was more akin to riots. People wouldn't get the chance N had given the Second Battalion in Nimbasa City. Everyone would end up dragged into the war. This saddened N, but he knew that was how it had to be. Kanto would come out of this travesty free.

"Thank you," N said, and meant it. "Let's head that way."


	26. Chapter 24: A Call to Arms

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 24: A Call to Arms

_Frenzied _was how Claire felt as she engaged the Cipher agents, which was further amplified by the incredible speed with which Accelgor attacked. While her attacks weren't a whole lot stronger, especially compared to the higher peons, the sheer number of them allowed Claire to actually have a substantial impact on the battle.

And having an impact like that felt _amazing_. She had, for the most part, just defended herself in the battle at Fuchsia, and not really gone out of her way to take out any bad guys. And it was no secret to her that she had only even survived the Battle of Opelucid with her small size and sheer luck. _This_ fight, though, was something else. It was the first time she really felt like she was actually directly fighting Cipher. And she loved it. Every peon she took out was one less bad guy who could later go hurt someone. It felt so good to help.

And help she certainly did. After fortifying her soft new body with several Acid Armors, Accelgor was able to take a decent amount of damage, and her speed meant that she wasn't an easy target anyway. Claire found her surprisingly easy to keep up with, and gave out orders fluidly. She and her friends were able to fend the wave of Cipher peons off with little difficulty, especially as they were clearly not Cipher's top agents, and barely half of their Pokémon were even Shadow.

The problem, however, was that they just _kept coming_. The instant one lost and faded back, another would take their place. Claire's friends were constantly surrounded by a ring of peons fully ready to battle. Their Pokémon were just gradually worn down, while Cipher's numbers seemed to have no end. Claire was eventually forced to withdraw Accelgor for fear of her safety. Zweilous fought just as well, making full use of her new Crunch and Dragon Pulse attacks. She saw at that point, by glancing at the auras in the periphery of her vision, that White's Samurott was the only Pokémon first sent out still fighting, and she was uneasily certain that Bianca was on her third Pokémon and her mom, never much of a fighter, was on her fourth. And there was still no apparent end to what was now clearly a small army.

A while later, once Zweilous had fallen, Claire made a horrible mistake that made her fear for both her life and her soul. She sent out Reinigen in Zweilous's place, and was seized with what sounded like an idea so logical that she could hardly believe she hadn't thought of it before. They could simply purify Cipher's Shadow Pokémon mid-battle, as they had done with the Shadow Haunter they had purified first. As a Februa, she allowed herself, it might have been too difficult to do when the enemies were actively attacking them, but he had evolved. As they hadn't acquired any Shadow Pokémon since his evolution, she wasn't sure how exactly purification would be different, but reasoned that it had to have improved enough to be feasible in a fight.

As for how it had changed, it turned out that it really hadn't. When Claire ordered Reinigen to purify a nearby Shadow Kadabra, he floated motionlessly and focused on the Pokémon as usual, his pink aura creeping over the Kadabra's black one. The process was just as slow, and made Reinigen a very easy target. When a Banette and Glalie ganged up him, Claire hastily ordered Reinigen to stop, just a second after the Kadabra had begun screaming. Reinigen twitched, but took a moment to respond, in which he sustained quite a bit of damage from the Ghost and Ice-types. When he did jerk away, however, Claire deeply regretted it.

The Kadabra's dark aura had only been half-enveloped with Reinigen's purifying glow, and, when Reinigen abruptly stopped, he was left with half a writhing black aura. The darkness stretched and disfigured itself oddly, as the Kadabra shook and shuddered, until it finally dissipated into nothing, and the Kadabra collapsed into a broke heap. Claire's wide, staring eyes filled with horrified tears. She had killed him, in possibly the most terrible way imaginable.

Claire was left in a shaking stupor for an indefinite amount of time, until she heard Reinigen cry out. She snapped out of it just in time to see the Banette knock him unconscious, and, wracked with another wave of guilt, she hastily withdrew him.

She suddenly felt very small. She had tapped into some undiscovered strength at the beginning of the battle, but it was completely gone now. The rush of being able to fight left, leaving her wondering how she had ever managed it. She sent out Graveler, but only reluctantly, and had to stop herself from running to her parents. She just tried to keep from getting hurt while she simmered with guilt, desperately hoping this battle would show some signs of ending.

The end of the battle, however, came incredibly abruptly. Their formation was broken when Ardos decided to send out the legendary Kyurem. White immediately met him with Reshiram, but the two gargantuan Tao dragons filled much of the clearing, forcing everyone to back out. All other fighting stopped for a few moments, as everyone stood mesmerized by the terror and majesty of the savagely battling dragons. Claire herself was unfazed by them in her general unhappiness, especially as a fight between them was nothing new to her. She greatly appreciated being able to shrink back as everyone else was distracted while the dragons dueled.

And then, in those few moments, Cipher's Pokémon began dropping rapidly. This quickly caused confusion amongst them, and the fighting quickly resumed, but the unseen assailant gave Claire's friends the advantage. By the time Reshiram had been defeated but Kyurem had been finished off by White's Excadrill, the number of active peons seemed to have actually declined. This gave Claire the tiniest boost, and she attempted to participate in the battle to some degree. However, as they were no longer in a nice ring formation, they were fairly vulnerable, and still would likely have lost were it not for a voice that pierced the tumult of the battle through every peon's communicator and each of Claire's friend's Pokégears.

"Attention people of Kanto!" cried a voice that Claire recognized as Janine's. Her mouth fell open with astounded joy as Janine proceeded to detail the crimes and corruption of Cipher to the entire Kanto region. Ardos shrieked with rage, and many peons cried out angrily or nervously. This provided Claire with the confidence to strike, and her friends didn't waste the moment of distraction to take out the majority of the remaining peons.

"Ha ha ha! Fuck _all of you_!" White cackled as Janine's speech finished. Ardos spat several more incoherent yells before giving the angriest retreat order Claire had ever heard. Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, the massive mob of Cipher agents vanished from the clearing. In less than three seconds, none were in sight. Their celebration, however, was dampened, as Koga of the Elite Four (who, Claire was pretty sure, was one of the one's with Cipher) announced that Janine was lying.

"Ah. That fight went well," a calm, happy voice from Claire's right said, and Claire turned quickly in surprise to see Will, the Psychic Elite Four who had helped them at Cinnabar.

"The hell?" White yelled. "Where did you come from?"

"Directly behind you," Will responded. "I thought you would be headed to Pallet Town, but, alas, I missed you. I suspected that you were on your way to Viridian City, but I missed you there as well. I can confirm that the Gym Leader Blue did in fact give an accurate, if concise, description of Cipher which matches up with Janine's. I finally caught up with you while you were preoccupied with those ruffians, and helped you from the shadows. You are quite welcome."

"Uh… Okay," White said uncertainly, as Bianca exclaimed "Thank you Will!"

"No need to thank me. It was my pleasure. You heard the Gym Leader Janine's message, I take it?"

"Well yeah," White chuckled. "Cipher's _dead_ now."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Will said. "But I do hope the announcement was a good thing."

"Why the hell wouldn't it be?" White asked, glaring suspiciously.

"Oh, I don't know," was Will's answer.

"Uh, how do you guys know the Elite Four?" Claire's dad spoke up.

"Ohhh. Right," White said, wincing. "Well, we met Will before we went to Cinnabar Island, but got separated from him there. More importantly, though, two of them are with Cipher. They're, uhh, K… Ko…"

"Koga and Karen," Will finished for her. "Most unfortunately. That would explain his message, if you were perplexed."

"You really didn't think to tell us that, I dunno, _first_?" Claire's dad said irritably. "That's _kind of_ important."

"Well, whatever," White said defensively. "Let's just get out of this forest. We can, erm, I dunno, tell everyone in the city ahead that Janine's right and that Koga's lying. Lead the way, Claire."

"Oh, right!" Claire said, taking off towards Pewter City.

"Oh, I feel that it is worth informing you," Will said after a short while, "that the Gym Leader Blaine is missing. I went to his gym on the Seafoam Islands before following you, but found the place boarded up."

"Oh. Well that sucks," White said. "You think he's with Cipher? Or that they killed him?"

"More likely they kidnapped him," Claire's dad answered. "He's a nice guy, and crazy smart. Former scientist, or something. They probably wanted him to work on something."

"Huh. Well, we can't worry about that now," White insisted. "Let's just focus on supporting Janine."

It didn't take very long to reach Pewter City after that. The streets were quite crowded with confused and nervous people. Claire fell back next to her mother, as she had always done in crowds. White then took the lead impatiently, despite never having been to the city before. The approach she seemed to think was best was to shout that Janine wasn't lying and not to trust Koga. Bianca joined in after a little, while Will approached individuals and spoke more directly to them. Claire's dad shrugged and went for something somewhere in between White and Will's approaches. Claire followed behind them between her mother and Triton, not saying much of anything. She thought, optimistically, that people seemed more inclined to believe Janine, especially with the spreading accusation that Koga was in league with Cipher. Will's word in particular was persuasive. This created tension with the police, who had actively avoided Claire and her friends, though fights did not yet break out. Many seemed to think it was a better idea to just run.

"Oh, there's Brock," Claire's dad said, pointing. "Gym Leader here. I don't know him as well as Blue, but he'll probably listen to me."

With that, he took off towards the crowd around Brock outside the gym. Claire flinched towards him, not really wanting him to leave. She was worried that something drastic could happen very quickly while he was gone and she wouldn't see him for a long time. She'd missed her parents so much…

Then, as she looked over at Triton, who was standing as silent and deadpan as usual, something crossed her mind. Triton had mentioned his dad in passing a few times (though less frequently in the past few days), and had seemed to think highly of him. But she had no idea who he was, or where he was, and, in retrospect, got the impression that Triton hadn't seen him in a while.

"Hey, Triton?" she said, as White, Bianca, and Will took off in various directions, leaving her with only her mom and Triton. "I-I was just wondering… Who's your dad? And, like, where is he? I mean, you talked about him, but you never said a lot about him, so…"

She trailed off as Triton said nothing, and inched closer to her mom. After a few seconds, however, he spoke, so quietly that Claire had to stand almost directly next to him to hear.

"…Tell me, Claire, was it nice seeing your dad again? After, what, three months? You missed him, right? And it was nice to see him?"

"I… Well, yeah," Claire said, a bit confused.

"Hmm. Good. You have some idea of what it's like, being away for a long time. Three months."

He paused here, sighing bitterly.

"I haven't seen my dad in four years. Some… things didn't go the way he thought they would. Because of that, he's trapped. I've been looking for a way to get him out. I might have found one, but… Well, we'll just have to see how it turns out."

Claire _almost_ found herself wanting to hug Triton. She had thought it was terrible not to see her dad for three months; four years was simply unimaginable. He kept a straight face and an even voice, but she knew that it made him sadder than he was willing to let on.

"T-Triton, I… I'm so sorry…" she whispered back.

"Don't be," he said, sounding angry. "Why should you be?"

"I don't-" Claire began, but her mom spoke up, apparently not having heard much of their hushed conversation.

"Claire, Dad's heading this way with the others. They look excited about something."

She had barely finished when the four reached them. Indeed, both Claire's dad and White were smirking triumphantly.

"There's been a huge breakout in the Celadon Prison," her dad announced.

"And that's _gotta_ be where N and Cheren and all of Cipher's enemies were being held," White added.

"So they're probably doing what we're doing, telling everyone that Janine's not lying," her dad reasoned.

"But what's even better is that a lot the fake police here ran off to the north not too long after Janine's message. I bet they're all meeting up in that base in the northern mountains, since it's more out-of-the-way than the others," White said with rushed excitement.

"Which means this is our chance to drive them out. A lot of people here have already volunteered to help, and more from Viridian and Pallet are pouring in," her dad said, with quite the same tone of eagerness. "Oh, I forgot how much _fun_ this used to be. Right, Rui?"

"I'm not sure I would've called it _fun_," Claire's mom said. "Exciting, I guess. Claire being in danger makes this more frightening than anything, though."

"Claire's gonna be _fine_, Rui," her dad insisted. "She's with us, and she at least knows how to look after herself. Don't worry about her."

"I don't see how you can _not_ worry about her," her mom sighed, making Claire feel like something of an inconvenience. She understood what her mom meant, though, and didn't let it make her feel bad. That was the last thing her mom wanted to do.

"Right, so let's just heal our Pokémon, and then we'll head to their base with anyone willing to fight," White announced.

Claire felt a rush of excitement, not unlike the one she had felt as she flew to the Unovan Pokémon League to kick Cipher out of that region. But this moment had been building up for far longer, and the rush was thus far stronger. This was it; she was about to take a major step towards saving everyone. She was going to help free Kanto. At last.

* * *

><p>Janine's mind remained numb for what felt like an extended period of time after her… dad spoke, vaguely aware of tears streaming down her cheeks and her body shaking in Muk's grip. She bounced rapidly back and forth between denial and depression, until she simply lacked feeling. Her… dad didn't leave the room, but she wasn't really sure why. She honestly had no idea what was going to happen to her, but this was only a vague, distant concern. The tiny bit of consciousness she managed to maintain was utterly consumed by the trauma of her dad's betrayal.<p>

This ended abruptly with the door crashing open. "Crashing" really was the only word for it. Surge tore through the doorway with his Raichu, his sheer rage radiating across the room. Janine blinked, trying to make sense of this, until she recalled that he had fought with her to the tower. She fell back to reality, but was still stuck in a confusing maelstrom of emotion. She could tell what was about to happen, and honestly didn't know how she wanted it to turn out.

"_Koga_!" Surge bellowed, his voice making the Muk tremble. "You… You fuckin' _traitor_! You sold out your region to those psychos!"

"Heh heh, Surge," Koga simpered, his mouth stretching into the grin that preceded battles. "I've been looking forward to this. Your blind national pride makes these matters go even farther over your head than Janine's. But no matter. I have no problems with crushing you!"

"Just try it, you psychopath!" Surge cried. "Raichu, _now_!"

Raichu's Thunderbolt collided with Weezing's Sludge Bomb directly between the two Pokémon, sending sparks and bits of gunk all over the room. Raichu got a hit in with another Thunderbolt before Weezing filled the room with smoke and Janine lost track of the battle. Based on the shouts and orders, she gathered that Raichu was taken out, not being able to see, and was replaced by an Electrode, who fared little better. It wasn't until the electric ball Pokémon violently blew up with an Explosion attack that the smoke cleared enough for Janine to see.

Weezing had been taken out, which meant that her… dad had the lead by one Pokémon. Janine found logic contradicting instinct on how she should feel about this. She knew that Surge needed to win, or things would go badly for Kanto. But her brain seemed to be rejecting the idea of supporting her father's defeat, clinging to the hope that there was some misunderstanding, that he wasn't really one of them. She even, for just a moment, found herself thoroughly convinced that Surge was the Cipher Admin and her dad was the good guy, and a moment later was terrified that she could lie to herself so convincingly. She was just so horribly confused, and, instinctively, she looked at her dad's face for reassurance.

She wished she hadn't almost immediately. His face shone with the same pleasure of battle as it always did, but, knowing he ranked high amongst cruel sociopaths, it looked quite different. Janine had always thought of it as the same thrill of the fight that all professional trainers felt. But now… there was clearly a malicious gleam in his eyes, a desire to make his opponent suffer. How could she have never seen it before?

Worse, if that was possible, were his words. Janine realized that she had never given them much thought, or assumed that they weren't unusual. But if his expression left any doubt of his patent sadism, his words dispelled it completely. He relished orders that were often crueler than necessary. She suddenly realized, with a jolt of horror, that she must have been mimicking his fighting style in normal battles for years. He had, after all, taught her to fight. Everyone in Fuchsia knew she was fairly friendly in person, but did their respect for her in spite of her age stem from her unconscious cruelty in battle?

She tried, with limited success, to blink these thoughts away, and saw Surge's Jolteon faint from poison that seemed to have been inflicted by the Toxic Spike Forretress had scattered. His Electivire then was sent out and, stubbornly ignoring the various spikes, smashed Forretress with a powerful Fire Punch. Janine feared that he would then be soundly taken out by Forretress's Explosion, but the flaming fist was enough to finish her dad's sole non-Poison-type.

Swalot then took on Surge's Electivire, immediately capitalizing on his bad poisoning with several Venoshocks. Electivire countered with a barrage of Fire and Ice Punches, but soon was clearly suffering from the venom. Finally, in a seemingly ever-mounting rage, Surge ordered a suicidal Wild Charge attack that managed to take out Swalot as well.

Surge sent out his Pachirisu next, and it was perhaps a sign of her current emotional instability that Janine broke down into an uncontrollable fit of laughter that was muffled by Muk's arm at the sight of the tiny electric squirrel being sent out by someone as huge and angry as Surge. She quickly ran out of air, and, although she wasn't really bothered by Muk's fumes, they still made it difficult to catch her breath again. It wasn't until she had nearly passed out from lack of air that she finally managed to stop cracking up.

By the time she did, Pachirisu was giving Venomoth a surprisingly tough time. She kept assuring that the moth stayed paralyzed with Thunder Wave, while using Double Team to avoid the various toxins Venomoth kept trying to use. When Pachirisu's repeated Shock Wave attacks finally took out Venomoth, Janine had to force herself not to burst into laughter again. She was almost glad, even, when Skuntank made short work of the squirrel with Dig.

By her count, Magnezone was Surge's final Pokémon, while her… her dad still had Skuntank and Muk. She realized, with surprise and excitement, that if Skuntank was taken out, Muk would have to release her if her… dad wanted to keep fighting. She'd be able to… to… do something…

Magnezone had the major advantage of being immune to poison. Unfortunately, it was also even weaker to Skuntank's Dig, but it rose high into the air with Magnet Rise to avoid this. This left Skuntank with nothing better to do than repeatedly use Night Slash, while Magnezone blasted several Flash Cannons. However, on its last turn of levitation, it used Lock-On to ready for Zap Cannon, while Skuntank burrowed through the floor. The instant it descended, Skuntank lunged up beneath it, and Janine was certain that Surge was finished. However, still laying on the ground, it launched a great blast of electric power that was more than enough to take out Skuntank. Barely conscious, it floated slowly, barely an inch off the ground.

"It's still alive and awake… Good…" Janine's dad simpered, and something snapped in Janine's mind. This wasn't the father she thought she knew. This was a monster, a savage, sadistic monster, that had betrayed her trust. As Muk slid off of her to finish the Magnezone off, her rage flared up far beyond even Surge's, and with a mangled shriek she leapt at Koga with a violent strike at his throat.

Koga dodged her easily, and used her momentum to smash her against the wall. He kept her pinned there, as she saw Muk pick up the weaken Magnezone and smash it repeatedly against the ground before Surge could recall it. Janine attempted to thrash out of his grip, but he knew exactly how she would normally get out of a pin like this, and easily stopped her.

"Stop, Janine. Please," he said, and the trace of genuine concern in his voice only complicated her feelings further. "I really didn't want to have to do this to you. I never wanted to hurt you. Just ignore whatever you've been told, and come with me. We can work together. We don't have to fight. _Please_."

Janine considered it. For several seconds, she really, honestly considered it. She could just go with him. They _didn't_ have to fight. It would be so much easier, to just follow him, to allow herself to believe that he was as perfect a trainer as she always had thought him, to still be a family. It wasn't too late. She could do it. It would be so easy.

But she couldn't, and she knew she couldn't. Cipher did so many horrible things, and, even if he did care about _her_, she knew her dad was a horrible person. He didn't care who he hurt, and, in fact, _enjoyed_ hurting people, but Janine hadn't allowed herself to see that for all these years. But now, it had been forced in front of her face, and she had to accept, as terribly painful as it was, that the father she'd seen had been a mask.

"I _hate_ you," she whispered, feeling tears falling again. The venom in her voice actually loosened Koga's grip, as she had hoped it would, and she used the moment to reach down and click open the only Pokéball she had not yet used.

If the ceiling had been an inch shorter, Zekrom probably would've torn it off. He knocked Koga back as he appeared, who quickly began calling his Muk to attack until Surge punched him in the face. Zekrom narrowly avoided smashing the radio transmitters as he turned around to observe the room. As he faced Janine and the Muk made to attack, Janine called out a command, her voice ringing with anger.

"Zekrom, Bolt Strike!"

Zekrom glared at her for a moment, looking somewhat resentful to Janine, before he turned and charged at the Muk with incredible speed and a huge mass of electricity. He tore straight through the spot where the Muk stood, smashing clear through the wall. A few bits of the Muk were left in the room, and rest presumably dropped five stories after being torn through a wall by a Bolt Strike attack. Janine doubted that it was still alive, but found that she didn't care very much at the moment. It was _Koga's_, after all.

"Get back here, you-" Surge shouted, as Koga rushed past Janine and leapt out of the hole Zekrom had blown in the wall. Janine hurried to the edge, but by the time she looked down he was nowhere in sight. As Zekrom hovered outside, she gazed down for several seconds, still a bit unsure of what to feel. A few more tears fell, but she quickly swept them away. More than anything, she was angry.

"Surge," she called back, without turning away from the hole in the wall. "Get back on the radio. Tell everyone what happened. Tell them to _do something_."

"Right, yeah," he said. "They're all going to the 'Mountain Base', just so you know. That's what some old guy told Koga to do, anyway. Sounded like a general order. But where're you headed?"

"That's by Mount Moon, I think. But I gotta give these Pokémon back," she answered, grateful for something of a lead, just before leaping out onto Zekrom's back. The black dragon was clearly less than happy about this, but, having heard what she said, he allowed it.

"Hey Janine!" Surge shouted, halting their takeoff. "It's gonna be all right. You take care of yourself, though, wherever you end up. All right?"

Janine was left a bit dazed. Surge had always been a great friend and mentor to her, something between a father and an older brother. She wouldn't have chosen anyone else to go on this mission with her. While Koga's betrayal still hurt, she was glad that she still had Surge.

"…All right," she replied, and she and Zekrom took off into the air. Just as Lavender Town became a circle beneath them, a sudden bellow interrupted their flight.

"To all the people of this great region!" Surge's voice rang out, far more powerful, motivating, and inspirational than Janine could hope to be. "This is Gym Leader and former Lieutenant Matt Surge. Listen to me! Your Elite Four Koga has betrayed you all! Janine Doku was right! There are evil terrorists among us, who even have taken over the police force! At this very moment they are threatening the safety of our region! They want to steal your Pokémon and corrupt them! They want to conquer Kanto and crush anyone who stands in their way! Are we gonna just sit by and let them take away our liberty? I'm sure as hell not! The time to fight back is _now_! Drive these monsters from our land! Pursue them to Mount Moon! Defend your home from these invaders! Do your duty to our region! _Fight back_!"

Janine herself couldn't help but be moved by his speech. Wiping a single tear of raw emotion from her cheek, she leaned forward and whispered to Zekrom.

"Go find N."

And with that, they were off to the north.

* * *

><p>Despite the unmasking of Cipher, N was worried as he and Petrel followed Cheren's crowd onto Route 5. The region seemed to be on the verge of anarchy. After all, banishing Cipher would mean dismantling the police force. But he knew he had to trust the people of Kanto to rebuild themselves. Surely they could do it.<p>

The great, booming shout that broke the last strands of order in Kanto came just as they reached the outskirts of Cerulean City. It identified itself as Lt. Matt Surge, the Vermilion Gym Leader, whom N knew only by Janine's descriptions of him. From these he was not surprised that Janine had chosen him to accompany her.

The power of his voice, however, was something that simply had to be experienced. The effect on the people crowding the streets was staggering. Their anger became palpable, and so convincing was Surge's speech that fights rapidly began breaking out with the Cipher agents trying to diffuse the mounting tension. Even N, who was already aware of everything Surge had said and would not call Kanto his home, felt stirred and moved to act. However, he had to remind himself that the Pokémon he held were Janine's, not his, and he couldn't ask them to fight for him.

As such, he and Petrel wound up standing at a distance from what had effectively become a riot. N merely stood, trying to decide the best action to take, while Petrel glanced between him and the chaos ahead. N was starting to lean towards going to Lavender Town to give Janine her Pokémon and hopefully regain his own when Petrel spoke up.

"So, we gonna fight, too?" he asked.

"I can't," N said solemnly. "These are not my Pokémon. I can't ask them to fight for me."

"…Wow, man…" Petrel said, shaking his head. "That's real noble of ya. Me, I'd be fightin' with any Pokémon I could get my hands on. I mean, what're ya gonna do if someone attacks you?"

"Run," was all N could say.

"Damn, man," he half-laughed. "You're crazy dedicated to your morals, I'll give ya that. But if it comes to that, me and Weezin' here'll fend 'em off for ya. So what's next?"

"I appreciate that," N said, nodding. "As for what's next… I'm not sure. I thought I should go to Lavender Town and exchange Pokémon with Janine…"

"…But what?" Petrel said, picking up on N's uncertainty.

"I do not know," N sighed. "Something tells me not to. I can't imagine what, but… I _feel_ like we should stay with Cheren's crowd."

"Well, I'm gonna go with that, then," Petrel said. "Besides, Surge made it sound like Janine left. Maybe that's why you're thinking not to go there?"

"Maybe," N said, but was still unsure.

"Hey! Looks like we're winning! Cipher's backing out!"

N looked back at the mob ahead, and saw that Petrel was right. The sheer number of the population would have most likely been enough to defeat Cipher's on-hand agents. But something seemed off. Cipher's forces could clearly have held up for longer, at least until more soldiers could arrive. But they were retreating rapidly. Perhaps, N hoped, they had decided that Kanto was lost and were prepared to back out without a fight that would result in many casualties on both sides.

"Well, looks like what's-his-face, Cheren, is chasin' after 'em onto Route 4. We gonna follow?"

"Yes," N said, with a flash of clarity. "That's where Zekrom will be."

"Eh? Well, all right then," Petrel said, and they hurried off to catch up with Cheren so N could tell him where the base was. N noticed that they seemed to have picked up quite a few people, which made progressing toward the front of the crowd more difficult. Adding to the challenge was that they soon began climbing the mountains nearby, heading along the general path that N and Claire had used to get from the caverns of Mount Moon to Cerulean City. N and Petrel pulled ahead faster, though, once they reached the large cliff on the north side of Mount Moon. Just before they reached the front, however, the mob came to a sudden halt, and, hurrying to Cheren's side, N soon saw why.

Another huge crowd had just made their way around from the other side of the mountain. White Shirkuro herself stood at the front, with Bianca at her side much as N was at Cheren's. Claire mirrored Petrel next to Bianca. N's mouth fell open, and he took two steps forward, as did Cheren and White. Before they could walk any farther, however, a familiar fearsome roar split the air, warming N's heart even further, and in the next moment the great black mass of Zekrom was landing in the space between the two crowds.

"Hey, N! N! You in there somewhere, N?" Janine shouted as she slid off of Zekrom's back. "Uh… Sorry everyone! I just need to find N!"

She looked somewhat embarrassed as she turned to glance around White's group. N hurried out of his crowd and approached Janine. He made to say something, but Janine began shouting again.

"Uhh, N? You here? Come out, quick! I've got all your Pokémon! N?"

At that point, she turned back around, leaping back upon finding N so close. She recovered quickly, and began yelling again.

"Oh, N! Um, hey! So, yeah, I've got your Pokémon! They're all kinda hurt except Zekrom, sorry! We had to fight for a while and stuff and I guess I don't really need to be yelling anymore, do I…"

She trailed off for a moment and glanced around awkwardly, but again picked back up quickly, and spoke more quietly.

"So, yeah… Really sorry about getting them hurt, but there were a lot of Cipher people, and things were kinda seriously not good for a while. They're all alive, though, I'm pretty sure."

"Thank you…" N breathed, giving Janine a brief but thankful hug. "Your Pokémon are in here. They haven't fought."

"Yes! Thanks, I hoped you'd have them," Janine said quickly as she took the bag from N.

N then turned to Zekrom, and placed a hand softly on his friend's side. He vaguely heard Janine say something, and was equally vaguely aware of Cheren talking to White and Bianca, but was otherwise completely focused on his black Yin dragon.

"You found me here…" N whispered.

"As you did me," Zekrom replied, and N knew that neither of them could help but marvel at their innate understanding. They, the Hero and Dragon of Ideals, were bound in an impossibly deep way. They did not even need to be near each other to understand.

"The others are hurt," Zekrom said sadly. "Is it… true, about Carracosta?"

A horrible sinking feeling overwhelmed N as he recalled his fallen friend, and he nodded sadly. Zekrom let out a low growl of misery before speaking.

"I… did not want to believe it…" Zekrom murmured, before falling silent. N sighed, and made to say some sort of apology, but felt a tap on his shoulder. He had only turned about two-thirds of the way around when White threw her arms around him in an almost painful embrace.

"Gah… You big idiot… You're okay…" she said softly. N almost thought she was crying, and was rather taken off guard, but if she was, she had wiped them away by the time she pulled back. At this, N remembered how much stress he had caused her, and knew he needed to apologize.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, just as White said the exact same thing. N saw his own surprise reflected on White's face, which melted into sadness exactly as his did.

"No, don't be," he said, right as she did. White stared at him for a moment, with mingled surprise and sadness, before starting to chuckle. N wasn't sure what was funny, but White's perfectly imperfect smile was contagious, as was her laughter. Shortly, they were both laughing quite loudly and foolishly.

"No, but really…" White said as they trailed off. "I'm sorry about… well, a lot of stuff. Most of what I said. I know that's a pretty crappy apology, but we've gotta hurry after Cipher right now."

N understood, and, while he did not think she needed to apologize, he nodded. He turned to Zekrom and met his eyes for a moment before recalling him to his Pokéball.

"Uh, guys?" Janine spoke up. "Listen… As much as I'd like to help you beat up Cipher Admins… Well, Fuchsia kinda needs a leader right now. Everywhere does. Sorry, but… I just… I kinda need to be… I need go."

"Of course," N responded. "Thank you so much for everything you've done."

"Heh, no problem," Janine said as she sent out her Crobat, rubbing her head affectionately. "Just, try not to die out there. Like, take care of yourself. You too, Claire."

With that, she departed the scene. N felt that he hadn't thanked her properly for all the help she had been, but couldn't think of a better way. However, as his attention was directed to Claire, he walked over to her. She gazed up at him, smiling, and he dropped to his knees to hug her properly.

"You're N?" he heard someone ask as he stood up. He barely had time to say "yes" before he was having the wind crushed out of him by a copper-haired woman more than a head shorter than him.

"Thank you… Thank you so much…" the woman gasped.

Once she was done and he had caught his breath, a man with hair the color of wet sand approached him with his arm extended. N stood confused for a moment before realizing the man wanted to shake hands and hastening to do so.

"Thank you…" the woman repeated.

"…You are welcome?" N said uncertainly.

"We're Claire's parents," the man explained. "My name's Wes, and she's Rui. Just… I can't thank you enough for keeping her safe."

"Oh!" N exclaimed. "Yes. Well, you are welcome. She can take care of herself well, though. She kept me safe just as much as I did her."

"Erm, N?" White interrupted. "We really need to go. You ready?"

"Oh, right," he said. "First, do you still have potions?"

"Yeah, sure," White said, reaching into her bag and pulling several hyper potions out. "You need, what, five?"

"…Four," N said glumly. White looked worriedly at him as she handed him the potions. After healing Zoroark, Breloom, Altaria, and Camerupt, he walked toward the cliff's edge and faced the crowds, which had merged together and begun conversing. N caught White's eye briefly, and was filled with confidence, before speaking in the voice of a king.

"Would you all please listen briefly to what I have to say?"

This phrase had quite the opposite effect of what it had had in Unova. Indeed, everyone stopped talking long enough to turn to him, but several quickly shouted out, with surprising anger.

"Wait, is that N Harmonia?"

"It is!"

"He's a terrorist!"

"Is he with those Cipher people?"

"He must be!"

"Shut up you idiots!"

This last one was shouted by White, Petrel, and, to N's surprise, Claire's father Wes, approximately simultaneously. To N's even further surprise, Wes then proceeded to march to a spot between N and the crowd, and yelled further.

"Think, for one second!" he bellowed at them all. "Who _said_ he was a terrorist? The police! Who have just been confirmed to be part of a _real_ terrorist group? _The police_! Put two and two together, and this man is obviously one of their greatest enemies!"

A brief silence followed, as this gradually dawned on each member of the crowd. After a while, once he had decided it was safe to, N spoke up again.

"Listen, please…" he began, and, when no one called out again, he went on. "See that peak over there? Just shorter than Mount Moon? Cipher's Mountain Base is just on the other side of it, where they subject Pokémon to the dreadful process that turns them into Shadow Pokémon. As of now, it is their last base in Kanto."

"Is it true that they have hundreds of Carien and Verborden there, and extract their venom for the Shadow process?" a familiar voice suddenly interrupted. N scanned the crowd and was somewhat surprised to identify the speaker as Triton. As he was standing next Claire, however, N reasoned that he had finally specified his stance to be against Cipher.

"I'm not certain," N answered. "But probably. When I was last in there, I saw many unfamiliar black, spiderlike Pokémon in cages. With knowledge of the ancient Carien and Verborden species, I can conclude that it was most likely them. However-"

"Why were you in there?" someone else called out, whom N did not recognize.

"I was attempting to destroy the laboratory, or at least damage it. I was lucky to just get out alive. However, if everyone present is certain they wish to fight, fully aware that you stand a good chance of dying at Cipher's ruthlessness…"

Here he paused, giving people the opportunity to back out. Instead, after a moment, several proud shouts rang out, insisting that they were ready.

"…Then we will certainly be more than a match for them. The base is simple enough that we need merely break in and fight our way forward. Free any caged Pokémon you come across, and defeat any Cipher agents. It should be simple. In a short time, Kanto will be free of these monsters. Is everyone ready?"

A roar of agreement and eagerness to fight rose up. N reveled in the cheers for a moment, in the shadows of the storm clouds left from Kyogre's presence, before calling out again.

"Then let our endeavors be prosperous!" he cried, and he turned and, with his friends soon at his side, led the charge through the mountain pass that lead to Cipher's final stronghold in Kanto.


	27. Chapter 25: Verborden

Pokémon Darkness

Part 2: Kanto

Chapter 25: Verborden

Claire truthfully felt lucky to be approaching Cipher's Mountain Base at N's side. Her mom had been dead-set against her going, and had required much persuasion, mostly on her dad's part, to allow it. Claire hadn't said much for her argument, but inwardly wanted little more than to help finish off Cipher in Kanto. She wanted to have an _impact_ again. She wanted to _help_.

"Stay close to me, Claire," her mom muttered for the fourth time. Claire certainly didn't need to be told that; she had no intention of leaving her parents' side. Together they were safe. Together they could tear through Cipher.

"We have almost reached the facility!" N proclaimed. Cheren said something to N, though Claire couldn't hear what, and they seemed to argue briefly before Cheren pulled back a few paces irritably. Claire noticed that N and White were sticking together much like Claire and her family were, and wondered if that might've had something to do with it. Or maybe it was just how Cheren liked to be the leader.

At that point, they rounded the mountain and Cipher's base came into view. The snow was beginning to grow thick, and Claire's shivers became constant. She ignored these as thoroughly as she could, worried her mom would take any reason to leave with her, and trudged on behind N.

No Cipher agents were waiting outside, which seemed ominous to Claire. The glass door was locked with a simple passkey system, but White's Samurott merely smashed door open, and the mob proceeded in easily.

Claire released Zweilous and looked around carefully as they made their way down the long hallway, but there were still no Cipher peons to be seen. At Cheren's orders, people farther back began fanning out into the rooms that branched off from the main hall, to defeat any peons, seize any machinery, and free any Pokémon who might be there. The lack of any apparent opposition greatly disconcerted Claire, but she hurried down the empty hall regardless.

Claire's continually mounting tension was beginning to reach an unbearable level when, finally, Cipher's intent came to light. She heard Bianca cry "Cheren!" and turned in time to see the room Cheren had entered with several others slam shut. Unlike the front door, this one was solid metal, and a dent could not be made in it.

"…Where the hell is everyone?" White asked in shock. When Claire looked around, she saw that their huge force had been reduced to only twenty or so people. Even Will had disappeared. Looking all the way back down the hall, she saw that a new metal door had closed over the front entrance.

"But… There haven't been any… enemies…" N muttered in horror.

"Frickin… They've been sealing them off in the side rooms," White growled. "Don't worry about that now. They always went in groups, so they'll be fine."

They were very near the end of the hall; the small door that led to the room where Claire had nearly died and Zweilous had underleveled herself had to have been less than thirty feet away. Claire felt only slightly better knowing why Cipher wasn't actively attacking them, which was largely mitigated by the uncertainty of the fates of the ones who had been trapped. She really just wished they would have a straight-forward battle. N went back to keep watch from behind, with notable reluctance, along with his new lavender-haired friend. For the remainder of the hall, no one went into any side rooms.

"This it, N?" White called back to N upon reached the end of the hall. When N called an affirmative, White hit the button to open the unlocked door and hurried in. Bianca rushed after her, and Claire made to follow, but her mom took her hand first and led her in.

The instant Claire set foot in the room, however, the door slammed shut, almost crushing her dad. Near-crippling anxiety struck her at being forcibly separated from him, and she banged on the door, ordering Zweilous to attack it.

"You'll never damage that door," a high, cold voice said. Claire spun around quickly to find the Shadow Lord Ein standing on the far side of the room, with the Admin Arian at his side, in front of a black curtain. Between them and Claire's friends stood two rows of the tall, purple, mechanized insectoid Pokémon that Greevil had used to pin her down in the Unova League. Their auras blended together, like a huge wall of darkness.

"If any of you takes a step forward without my permission," Ein informed them, "these perfected Genesect will riddle you with Techno Blasts before you can take another."

Claire glanced in fear from her mother to White to Bianca. White was glaring at the Cipher leaders with incredible animosity, as was her Samurott, but neither of them dared to make a move. She could hear the muffled shouts of N as he attempted to break the door down, but knew he wouldn't be able to. She then looked nervously across the rows of Shadow Genesect. Claire's mom stared at them, looking even more horrified than Claire felt. Claire knew that it must have been some time since she had seen a Shadow aura, and that she had hoped she never would again.

"They are impressive, aren't they?" Ein said, almost lovingly. "I perfected the cloning of Deoxys quite some time ago. You may have observed that each of our higher members is armed with one. But Genesect is a new development. And, if I may say, much deadlier. We barely had time to transfer them here from Silph before it was attacked. I'd say I did well."

"Okay, what the hell do you want?" White asked angrily. Claire wished she hadn't; the longer Ein went on about his genius, the longer it would be before he did something bad.

"Oh, is it not obvious?" he answered. "Claire. I'm just lucky she was stupid enough to be one of the first in the room. Bring her here, Ariana."

Claire barely had time to register this before Ariana and her Deoxys teleported directly in front of her. She was left in vague shock and fear as the Admin seized her arm.

"Come along now, dear," she said sweetly, dragging Claire across the room. Zweilous growled and leapt at Ariana to bite her, but was immediately badly injured by two Ice-type Techno Blasts. Ariana then immediately confiscated the rest of Claire's Pokémon. Beginning to breathe heavily, Claire glanced across her friends' faces. White looked furious and tense, while her mom and Bianca looked heartbroken.

"Stop it, you monster!" her mom screamed. "What are you going to do?"

"A simple enough process, Rui," Ein responded. "And it's good to see you again, too. Shame your husband isn't here."

With that, he threw the black curtain from the wall to reveal a huge cage sunken into the ground and towering to the ceiling, swarming with six-legged jet-black creatures about two-thirds the size of Claire. Their pinchers were jagged, and their eyes deep, toxic purple.

"Verborden," Ein announced triumphantly. "With access to these marvelous creatures themselves, I have been able to create a much purer, more complete Shadow process than my initial design was. And it has been very effective at creating Shadow Pokémon. But I've been wondering something…"

He paused here, gazing thoughtfully at the caged Corruption Pokémon. What he was about to say crossed Claire's mind, but she pushed the thought away frantically. She wouldn't let that happen… She'd run into the Genesect's line of fire first…

"…Can the Shadow process be done on a human?" Ein finally confirmed, and Ariana dragged Claire to his side. "I think it best to first test it in its rawest form. To that end, I will be putting Claire in this cage. As inconvenient as she has been, using her is doubly advantageous. But don't worry; I'll supply her with goggles, so her eyes may be preserved for tests she should readily comply with, once-"

"No! _I won't let you hurt my baby_!" Claire's mom screamed frantically, charging forward with her Absol. All fourteen Genesect immediately pierced her with several volleys of Techno Blasts. Claire's head grew dizzy and blank and time appeared to slow down as her mom and her Absol fell to the ground, bleeding and twitching.

"Did you not take me seriously?" Ein asked, raising his eyebrows. "Ariana, please put dear Rui out of her misery. Shame we couldn't test her eyes as well."

"Happily," Ariana chuckled.

Ein grabbed hold of Claire's arm as Ariana approached Rui Thomas. The instant she sent out her Shadow Arbok, Claire's stupor shattered, and it truly dawned on her that her mother was dying.

"Mom! Mom, _no_! _MOM_!" Claire shrieked, struggling frantically against Ein's cold grip. The harder she thrashed for freedom, the tighter Ein held her. Her screams rapidly became incoherent as the dark snake slowly curled around her mother's neck.

The _snap_ of her neck in Arbok's crushing hold made Claire think wildly of a branch breaking while tree-climbing. The dizziness returned as blinding misery inundated her. This was it. What had been her greatest fear ever since she had met N in the caves of Mount Moon. Her sweet, caring, brave mother was dead, at Cipher's hands, all because of her.

She couldn't take it. Her world was ending. The pain was impossible. The mingled guilt, sorrow, regret, even rage. It would surely destroy her. In that moment, she just wanted to take it all back. To have just walked away from N and gone back home and pretended nothing ever happened. She just wanted her mom back… She wanted the pain to stop…

A jerk of her wrist jolted her halfway back to reality. Her situation crossed her mind, and she realized that there _was_ a quick and easy way to make the pain stop. If she just submitted… And became Shadow… The pain would be gone. Everything would be gone. She could just fade away into apathy. Into nothingness. Into shadows. And she wouldn't hurt anymore. She just had to give up, and give in. It would be _so easy_.

As though hearing her thoughts, Zweilous let out a despaired cry, and her aura seemed to reach out towards Claire. Claire closed her eyes, and reached out to meet her. For what could have been no more than a second, their auras blended, and she heard the same voice she had heard while battling Triton in Castelia City.

"_I'm still here."_

The pain did not vanish, nor even fade to any perceptible degree, but the moment of temptation passed. Claire knew she had to keep fighting, until she was dead, or until she had saved everyone. She tried for a moment to pretend that that was what her mother would have wanted, but she knew that wasn't true. Her mother would have wanted her to run and hide somewhere safe. But, as she had always known, she couldn't do that. She had to keep fighting.

Another jerk of her wrist (which was likely no more than two full seconds after the first), however, brought her the rest of the way back to reality. There was no real way to avoid being thrown into the cage of Verborden, she realized. But she wouldn't go willingly, and perhaps that would make all the difference.

"Wait!" Bianca suddenly shouted. Claire was abruptly reminded of her friends' presence, and quickly looked at them, if mostly to avoid looking at her mother's body. White was clearly expending every ounce of her willpower to not charge at the Shadow Lord, while Bianca looked shaken and saddened, but oddly determined.

"What?" Ein asked disinterestedly.

"Um, well, just listen," Bianca said hurriedly. "Are you sure it's a good idea to do that to Claire, if you wanna check out the way she can see auras? I mean, like, aren't you worried it might mess with that? Even if her eyes don't get hurt? I mean, it _does_ sorta totally change her own aura. Don't you think you should maybe not use her? Maybe?"

"…A valid point," Ein said, nodding. "Very well. Your name is Bianca Alba?"

"Um, yes," Bianca said, clearly struggling to mask her delight.

"Good. You've convinced me, Bianca," the Shadow Lord said. "Ariana, take Claire back against the wall. Then bring Bianca here. She will undergo the raw Shadow process instead."

"I- what?" Bianca spluttered, taken off guard, as Claire was dragged back across the room. "Wh-why me?"

"Because, as far as I am aware, you are insignificant in just about every way," was Ein's matter-of-fact answer. "It's more… why _not _you?"

"I-I…" Bianca said nervously, but Ein cut her off.

"No more talking. From any of you."

Bianca's Emboar made to slug Ariana the moment she released Claire, but Bianca recalled him before he could do more than draw his fist back. While the attention was on Bianca, Claire hastily withdrew her wounded Zweilous.

"I'm sorry…" Bianca whispered. "But there's too many of them, and I don't want them to hurt you…"

Even after all the pain, Claire somehow managed to be drowned in another wave of guilt as Bianca was dragged off. Bianca had effectively sacrificed herself for her, and not entirely intentionally. Everything was just going so spectacularly wrong. And it was all her fault…

But, just then, several things happened in rapid succession. With a brief, rapid beeping noise, the door slid open, and several people and Pokémon began charging in, including N, Cheren, Triton, and Claire's dad. This drew the attention of all fourteen Genesect, who immediately attacked them, but White reacted just as quickly. Reshiram suddenly filled the room, and with a sweeping Blue Flare wiped out the mechanical insects before they could turn to him. Claire trembled when she saw the fire incinerate her mother's body, having no idea of how to feel about that. Just as her mind began to blur with sadness again, she felt a sharp grip on her wrist again, as Ariana pulled her away from the others. The commotion in the room came to a halt, and the collective attention turned to Bianca, whom Ein was holding over the ledge at the door to the cage of Verborden. Bianca's face reflected nothing but sheer terror. Ein gave a curt nod to the room before pushing Bianca in.

Bianca's shrieks were possibly the most tormented sound Claire had ever heard. She had only experience the Shadow process once before, the last time she had been in this room, but Bianca's screams well beat out the Togepi's. The fact that the Togepi had been corrupted in a much more refined way than being ravaged by a swarm of Verborden may have contributed to this. But watching the way they tore at Bianca's cheery yellow aura, leaving it with dark wounds, was almost nauseating. Claire nearly fell over, which allowed Ariana to drag her off to Ein fairly easily.

"You _bastard_!" Cheren screamed, charging at Ein with his Liepard, but was almost immediately blocked by the gigantic Kyogre.

"Let's not be hasty now…" Ein said, beginning to back up to the only other door. "The connection to our private PCs in Sinnoh should be ready… _now_."

Claire only vaguely acknowledged a PC outside the cage light up, as she was still transfixed by the crying, flailing Bianca, who was growing steadily quieter and stiller. Very little of her sunny aura was left; it was almost entirely consumed by black.

"And transferring complete contents of the cage… now," Ein said happily. As he spoke, Bianca grew completely silent and motionless, and Claire really did vomit when the black aura _writhed_ as it overtook the last of Bianca's yellow. In that last second, as White and Cheren charged at the cage, Bianca's eyes flicked open, and she sat up slowly. She swept the room with a most un-Bianca-ish expression just as she began to fade. And then, with an electric flicker, the Verborden and their prey vanished.

"Excellent," Ein said, smiling. "That was the last of anything of value in here. Which means this facility can be destroyed. Preferably, with all of you in it. Five minutes should be enough time for us to get out. Take the girl with us, Ariana."

He pressed a button on his Pokégear as he spoke, and recalled Kyogre and fled through the other door without waiting for Ariana. The Admin smiled nastily down at Claire as she began to leave, keeping Claire's friends away with her Arbok. Claire's mind was numb from sheer overstimulation, and could do little beyond stumbled after her. Just before she reached the door, however, she took a moment to smirk at the others, and was immediately struck in the face by some projectile. Claire looked up to see that it was a glass bottle that had shattered on impact, coating Ariana's face in heavy green powder. N immediately took Claire's other hand and pulled her away as Ariana collapsed unconscious. Claire doubled back quickly to retrieve her Pokémon, and then just hurried blindly along with the crowd, which was tearing its way back down the hall.

"N, hurry!" White called. "He said this place is gonna explode in, what, four minutes now!"

"But what about her?" N asked, gesturing to Ariana.

"Oh yeah," White said, walking up to Ariana and kicking her in the face. "Now quick, let's get out of here!"

"But she'll die if we leave her here," N said uncomfortably.

"Wonderful!" White shouted, and Claire rather agreed with her. N, however, stubbornly dragged Ariana with him. Claire and White stayed with him, somewhat reluctantly, as he went notably slower. In the end, however, it made little difference, as the front door was still sealed shut when they reached the crowd around it.

"Not that wire, idiot!" Claire heard Triton shout.

"Do _you_ want to do this?" Cheren responded.

"_Yes_," Triton said, apparently pushing Cheren aside. Claire noticed that at least four of the groups that had gone off to the side rooms seemed to have gotten out, but a lot were still nowhere to be seen. She swayed uneasily under the awareness that they probably wouldn't have time to save any of them. Triton was likely the only one there with sufficient knowledge of how to hack a mechanized door (except, possibly, Cheren) and he might not even get it open in time to get anyone out.

"There," Triton called after about a minute, and the crowd poured out like water when the drain is opened.

"Quick! We have to get the other doors!" Cheren called to Triton.

"This place will blow up before _I_ can even get one, let alone _you_," Triton answered. "Throw your life away if you want, but I'm leaving."

Cheren seemed to deliberate for a second, but White seized him by the arm and dragged him out immediately. Claire followed quickly after her and N, who was still pulling Ariana. She just kept running, as did everyone, even when their feet hit the snow outside. They were barely around the side of the cliff when the very mountain shook. Smoke billowed up from where the base had stood, and an avalanche seemed to have started on the other side of the mountain.

The whole group just stopped, most people crying for those lost in the explosion, searching frantically for their friends and family who had come with them. Claire was in a horrible daze, and just looked unseeingly across the crowd. Her eyes didn't register that she was seeing her father until his arms flew around her. She saw her mother's death vividly, and heard that _snap_, and the reality of it crushed her all over again.

"D-D-Dad," she gasped, the first tears falling. "Sh-she… M-M-Mom… Sh-sh-she's…"

"I know," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I know…"

"M-my f-f-fault," Claire sobbed. "Sh-she w-was t-t-trying to s-save m-me… I-it's m-my f-f-f…"

"Don't even think that, Claire," her dad said through heavy breath. "It was him… That twisted, heartless man… I need to meet him again… But it was not your fault. Not at all. Never think that."

"I want her back," Claire said through her tears.

"I do too…" her dad murmured. "I do too…"

They stayed like that, crying onto each other's shoulders, for longer than Claire could keep track of. She remembered looking up at some point and seeing White and Cheren doing the same thing for Bianca. This made her feel even worse. So much had gone wrong, so many people had died, so many bad things had happened that were her fault…

But they weren't. Her dad was right. They _weren't_ her fault. She recalled White telling her the same thing in the abandoned prison on Cinnabar Island (_"They'd rather die for you…"_) and knew they were both right. It didn't get rid of the pain, but it lessened it. Took some away.

And converted it to anger.

These were bad people. All of them, twisted, horrible, heartless people. And she was going to stop them. She was going to make them pay for hurting so many people and Pokémon. She was going to save everyone from them. And make them _regret it_.

"I saw smoke! I saw smoke! Where's my Bianca Bel?" a panicked voice called out. Claire spun around to see Bianca's father crashing to the ground on his Tranquill. He hastily scrambled to his feet, glancing frantically across the crowd.

"Bianca B… Err, Bianca?" he called again. "I know you came here! Where are you? I just need to know you're okay!"

"…She's not here," White told him.

"Oh my Arceus… She's not… Tell me she's not…"

"She's not dead," White said bitterly. Claire looked at Mr. Alba's fearful face and felt very sorry for the poor man.

"Where is she, then?" Mr. Alba shouted, grabbing White's shoulders.

"…Cipher took her," White muttered. "They won't kill her, though. They Shadowed her."

White's fists and eyelids clenched tightly, and she turned away. Mr. Alba's mouth fell open, and his eyes widened into a look of sheer horror.

"…Where?" he managed to gasp.

"Sinnoh. That's the most we know," White said, her voice shaking, without turning around. Immediately, Bianca's father held his arm into the air, which his Tranquill grabbed hold of, and they sped off to the north. Claire watched him go with a mixture of bitter feelings, and turned to hug her own dad again.

A whooshing sound and crunch of feet landing on snow made Claire spin around quickly. To her surprise, she saw Cynthia standing with one hand on her Braviary.

"Oh, wow, you _are_ here," she said surprisedly. "I just thought I'd investigate the smoke. Is everything okay?"

"No, just about everything _isn't_," White answered bitterly. "Except that Cipher's out of Kanto. Which now basically in _anarchy_."

"Oh my…" Cynthia said uncertainly. "Well… I came looking for some help in Sinnoh. Things are about to go… badly. But if you're busy here…"

"We're done, actually," Cheren answered. "We'll go."

"Are you… sure?" Cynthia asked.

"Oh yes, do go," Will called out. "Kanto just needs to rebuild. It will take time, to be sure, but we will survive. We Kantonians will just head home now. I believe a memorial service is in order."

"Could you take her, and put her in prison?" N asked, gesturing to the still-unconscious Ariana.

"Certainly," Will said, and with that most of the crowd said their goodbyes and headed back towards Mount Moon. The only people left with Claire were her dad, N, White, Triton, Cheren, Cynthia, and N's lavender-haired friend, whom N turned to.

"What about you, Petrel?" he asked. Petrel just looked at him with a mixture of awe and amusement before answering.

"Man, you saved Ariana's life when _I_ probably would've left her for dead. I've said it before, man: you're the nicest guy I've met, and I'll follow you anywhere. Even Sinnoh."

"…Thank you," N said, quite sincerely. "…And what about you, Claire?"

"I'm going with you," she answered immediately. There was no doubt in her mind.

"So am I," her dad answered, much to her relief. "I owe Ein something."

"…T-Triton?" Claire asked, after a few moments of silence.

"Sinnoh is my home region," he answered. "I'm not about to let Cipher destroy it."

"Everyone's going, then?" Cynthia asked. "Thank you, very much. I mean that."

With that, she hopped on her Braviary. Claire joined White on Reshiram, while Triton joined N on Zekrom. Petrel took flight on his Crobat, and Cheren on his Unfezant. Claire's dad grabbed onto his Gliscor's back, and soared alongside Reshiram. The pain still agonized Claire as she held onto White's waist, but her mind was clear. She knew what she was going to do. She was going to go to Sinnoh, and crush Cipher.

_End of Part 2: Kanto._


	28. Interlude: A Closed Door

Pokémon Darkness

Interlude: A Closed Door

In an objective sort of way, Bianca knew that traveling through the PC as data wasn't pleasant. She didn't particularly care, though. What did "pleasantness" matter, after all? What _was_ it, really?

When she regained all of her senses, she was in a room much like the one she had left. There was nothing very extraordinary about it. It simply was. An equally unextraordinary man approached her. He was reluctant to do so, Bianca thought. That likely had something to do with the Verborden swarming around her. She knew the Corruption Pokémon induced fear. She had feared them. She could _almost_ recall the sensation. But not quite.

The man called her to go out of the cage of Verborden. She opened the door and did so. The man quickly slammed the door shut, before any Verborden could escape. He introduced himself as Cipher's most brilliant scientist, Charon. Bianca stared at him until his bragging tapered off, and he led her to another room. He instructed her to stand there before leaving. She did so.

At some point, he returned. With him was another man. The one who had put her in the cage. Ein, his name was. He told her that she was to obey his orders exclusively. This made sense as far as Bianca was concerned.

Master Ein then bade her to follow, and she did. When they stopped, he told her to clear various obstacles. She did so. It was simple. He then set Linoones on her, and told her to kill them. Though she sustained injuries (and gazed at the blood with some vague feeling), she did so. She was then ambushed by other, increasingly strong Pokémon, and again told to kill them. She continued to do so, though she also continued to sustain injuries. The pain was merely a vague acknowledgement, but eventually the damage grew too great, and she collapsed.

When she awoke, she was in the same place, though the Pokémon were gone. She did not like to have failed to kill as instructed. It was only a slight twinge of annoyance, but was enough emotion to cause pain. However, she was soon presented with a Lilipup by Master Ein, and told to kill it. She did so, easily, the twinge faded. Master Ein beamed, and told her to follow.

When they came to another room, Master Ein told her to release her Pokémon, and gave her various orders to give them. She did so, and they obeyed. Master Ein then beckoned her over to various machines, and explained how they performed the refined Shadow process. He then instructed her to Shadow her Pokémon. She did so, watching curiously as they screamed and cried. It crossed her mind that she had undergone this process. She wondered if she had screamed and cried.

A twinge flickered, at some point. It was not the same twinge as before. It was something… far worse. She could not find words to associate with it. It was very distracting. She did not like it. It seemed to come and go in waves.

When only her Emboar was left, Master Ein brought Bianca to another room. It was the same one she had first appeared in. He instructed Bianca to push Emboar into the cage of Verborden. She did so, and watched as the fire pig struggle to fight the black bugs off. Master Ein then told her to order her Pokémon to stop struggling. She did so. Emboar stopped, turned to her, and merely stared as the corruption Pokémon devoured his aura. She thought it curious.

"It looks so… defeated," was what the scientist Charon said under his breath. Bianca knew not what to make of these words. But Master Ein informed her that the tests were done, and to recall her Pokémon and follow him one more time, as he had a job for her.

Ignoring the twinge, she did so.


	29. Chapter 26: Too Cold

Pokémon Darkness

Part 3: Sinnoh

Chapter 26: Too Cold

White had hoped that, upon reaching Sinnoh and getting out of the mountains, the air would be less painfully cold. This soon proved not to be the case; if anything, it was getting _colder_. What she really wanted to think about was how pissed she was at Cipher for everything they had just done, but that was hard to do when her butt was at risk of freezing off. She didn't even want to think about what it would've been like without Reshiram's warmth.

Unfortunately, when they finally landed in a town Cynthia indicated, she had too. She couldn't even begin to imagine how any human being could possibly live here. Looking around, she saw that Cheren and Claire were also shivering, but they, at least, had pants and a jacket. N, Wes, and Petrel didn't seem too perturbed, however, and Cynthia and Triton were entirely unfazed.

"Everyone, this is Sandgem Town," Cynthia announced. "Sinnoh's top Pokémon Professor is here. The Champion also lives nearby, so we can hopefully catch her."

"Cynthia," Cheren began as they made their way towards the largest building nearby. "What exactly is the situation here? Who's aware of Cipher? What's Cipher's position?"

"Ahh, complicated," was Cynthia's answer. "Just wait a moment."

"Well, why exactly are we here?" Cheren asked, looking a bit impatient.

"To meet with the Professor, and, hopefully, the Champion," Cynthia said quickly. "Mostly, this is just a place to start planning."

White didn't think Cheren seemed completely satisfied with this answer, and she couldn't say she was, either, but, being unfamiliar with Sinnoh, they'd have to trust Cynthia.

"Why not start at the League?" Triton asked with raised eyebrows.

"No one was there when I dropped by," Cynthia explained. "And I'm fairly certain that hasn't changed. Here, let's go in, and I'll explain in more detail."

White, eager to be out of the biting cold, was the first in the building after Cynthia. A teenage boy in a blue jacket was the only one already inside, and White wondered stupidly for a moment how a Professor could be so young.

"Ah, um… Lucas?" Cynthia said uncertainly. "Where is Professor Rowan?"

"Huh?" the boy, Lucas, mumbled, looking up from his PC. "Oh! Cynthia! Sorry, the Professor's not here. He went out to Lake Verity. He should be back soon…" he added quickly when White began glaring at him.

"How soon?" Cheren asked. "This is rather important."

"Immediately," came a voice from the door, which White saw upon spinning around to belong to an old man with a long brown coat and an attention-grabbing moustache. "Why? What's the matter? And who are all of you?"

"Professor Rowan! Hello!" Cynthia exclaimed. "Is Dawn perhaps nearby? She's not at the League."

"Yes, actually. I just met her at Lake Verity," the Professor, Rowan, replied. "She said she might come here later. Why? What's the matter?"

"In essence… Team Galactic," Cynthia said, puzzling and worrying White a bit. She'd heard of Team Galactic once or twice before, but was under the impression that they weren't a threat anymore. Unless… Cipher had absorbed them, as they had to the remnants of Plasma under Ghetsis…

"Team Galactic? Really? I thought we were long past this, Cynthia," Professor Rowan sighed, shaking his head. "In fact… weren't you one of the advocates for trusting them?"

"Yes, I was, but… well, it's more complicated now," Cynthia said. "It would be nice if Dawn were here before I explained it all. Do you know when she intends to stop by?"

"I don't, Cynthia. You know Dawn. She'll get here when she gets here," Rowan said, seeming rather put-off to White.

"Professor…" Cynthia said slowly. "I know you really don't want to hear that Team Galactic is up to no good again, but-"

"Don't want to hear?" Rowan chuckled humorlessly. "Of course I don't! Who would want to hear that? I just hope you've got some convincing evidence. Actually, I hope just the opposite of that."

"Can someone please explain what Team Galactic is?" White finally asked irritably. Cynthia opened her mouth to answer, but Petrel, surprisingly, spoke first.

"They're Sinnoh's Rocket an' Plasma, ain't they? Wanted to control some super-Legendaries to remake the world? 'Cept, I heard they 'aven't got a leader now. Theirs got dragged to hell, or somethin'."

Cynthia again made to speak, but was this time beat by Triton.

"Accurate enough," he murmured. "Their initial leader, a man named Cyrus, wanted to harness the power of Dialga and Palkia to rebuild the universe to suit his ideals. Giratina intervened, and took Cyrus to its world. He never returned. Now, leadership has fallen to a man named Saturn, who basically turned it into a charity."

"Huh…" White mutter slowly, along with Petrel and a few others.

"So everyone trusts them now, I take it?" Wes asked. "And they've become an arm of Cipher…"

"No, no one trusts charities," Triton said deadpan. Wes made to retort something, but Cynthia spoke up first.

"As for them being an arm of Cipher… Well, I only know so much. But I do know Saturn still holds authority, and I know he, at least, would not want anything to do with Cipher. My guess would be that only some leaders are part of Cipher, and they are influence Team Galactic indirectly."

"Now I'm the one in the dark," Rowan spoke up. "What is this 'Cipher'?"

"An evil team taken up to eleven," White replied quickly.

"They have activity in most regions. They control Hoenn and Orre completely, and seek conquest of the other regions," N added.

"Ah! Well then," Rowan exclaimed. "It does sound like Dawn ought to be here for this. Lucas, would you mind going to get her?"

"S-sure!" Lucas shouted, already halfway to the door. The draft that tore through the room as he exited rent White's flesh, and the horrible cold struck her again.

"Can I get some decent _clothes_?" she asked bitterly.

"Hmm?" Rowan murmured. "Sorry, I don't have any here. You could ask Dawn for some once she gets here. In fact…"

Trailing off, he rummaged in one of his coat pockets and picked out an Xtransceiever of sorts.

"Lucas?" he said into it. "You may have noticed that the young lady who came with Cynthia is woefully underdressed. She would like you to ask Dawn for a change of clothes."

"Wh-what?!" White shrieked. "'_Woefully underdressed'_?"

"That's what you are, is it not?" he asked politely. "Did anyone else come unprepared for Sinnoh weather?"

"A… thicker jacket would be nice," Cheren spoke up.

"I'd agree with that," Petrel added.

"Y-yes. Please," N said.

"…And three jackets," Rowan added after a pause. White noticed that Claire had said nothing, and just stood shaking at the back of the group.

"You need a better jacket, Claire?" she asked.

"O-oh… N-no…" she mumbled. "I'm fine…"

"You sure?" White asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Um…" was Claire's only response.

"You shaking," Triton laughed. "Get a jacket, idiot."

"F-fine, jerk," Claire sniffed.

"Erm," White spoke up. "Claire needs a jacket, too."

"Oh?" Rowan said. "And an eight-year-old sized jacket, Lucas. If you can find one."

His apparent assistant then hung up, and Rowan returned the Xtransceiever to his pocket. Sighing, he turned back to Cynthia.

"So, now that that's out of the way… introductions are long overdue. Everyone, I am Professor Rowan, one of Sinnoh's top researchers, specializing in Pokémon evolution. Who are you? And how do you know Cynthia?"

"Er, I'm White, White Shirkuro, a trainer from Unova," White said first. "Cynthia helped us fight Cipher in Unova, when they tried to invade."

"White Shirkuro?" Rowan interrupted. "I've heard that name before… Ah! You're the Hero of Truth, are you not? Master of the Yang Dragon, Reshiram?"

"Uh, that's not how I'd put it, but yeah, I guess," White responded awkwardly. "And, uh, this is N Harmonia. 'Hero of Ideals', I guess you'd say. And this is my friend Cheren, one of Unova's best trainers. This is Claire, who can see auras, and her dad, Wes. This guy's name's Petrel, don't really know much about him actually. Same deal with Triton."

"Yes, I've met Triton before," the Professor said. "But nice to meet you all, the two Unovan Heroes in particular. Can you explain more about Cipher now?"

"Perhaps we should wait until Dawn-" Cynthia began. At that moment, however, a voice rang out from the doorway. To White, it seemed very rational, if a bit cold. Like Cheren times ten.

"I'm here," the blue-haired girl said. "I met two agents of this Cipher on the way. You should be more careful."

"Wait what," White, Cheren, and Wes said simultaneously.

"At least, I'm reasonably sure that that's what they were," Dawn replied. "They were coming for you, anyway."

"Oh my, what happened, Dawn?" Cynthia asked, frowning with concern.

"Not much. I challenged them to a battle when I heard what they were planning. They left when they lost. Now, who are these people?"

Cynthia sped hastily through introductions. Like White, Cynthia had little to say about Petrel or Triton. Dawn nodded at each trainer as Cynthia gave their name and, briefly, who they were. She had a somewhat bored look in her eyes, like she'd rather be thinking about something else. White wasn't sure she liked her much.

"And everyone, this is Dawn, the Champion of Sinnoh and trainer of Uxie, Being of Knowledge," Cynthia concluded. "She was basically responsible for taking down Team Galactic. She even defeated Cyrus and Giratina in the Distortion World."

"Ah… Yes, well…" Dawn muttered, averting eyes. "Let's focus on the matter at hand. I understand Galactic is plotting crimes again? As a part of a larger organization, Cipher?"

"Can I like, have my clothes now?" White spoke up quickly.

"Oh, right!" Lucas yelled, tossing jackets to those who moved forward. "Err, sorry, little girl. Might be a bit big, but this is the smallest jacket we could find."

As Claire pulled on a pink jacket at least a size and a half too big for her, Dawn reached into her bag and withdrew another piece of the clothing she was wearing, which looked to White like a jacket that melted into a skirt.

"Nope. I don't do skirts," White said immediately. Dawn stared at her with a halfway bemused expression before also withdrawing a pair of jeans.

"I expected as much, from what I've heard of you, White Shirkuro," she almost-chuckled.

"Y-you've heard of me?" White said, taken a bit off guard.

"Well, yes. You're the Unovan Hero of Truth, a huge piece of recent history. Why wouldn't I have heard of you?"

"Well, maybe heard of me…" White mumbled. "But you know my _style_?"

"More your personality. Your style can be deduced from that," Dawn said, in a manner of explaining something she expected to be obvious. "Odd you didn't realize that, being the supposed embodiment of truth."

"Knowledge is not the same thing as truth, Dawn," Cynthia spoke up. "Setting you and White next to each other is a perfect example of that."

"I see…" Dawn murmured, though White rather doubted it. "Well, regardless. Here are your clothes. No need to return them."

"How generous," White said, through slightly clinched teeth. Taking the new outfit, she hurried to the bathroom. The jacket baffled her for a bit before she worked the buttons out. Stuffing her vest and shorts into her bag's horrendous "miscellaneous" pocket, she placed her hat back on and hurried back out. By then, the others were mostly through explaining the important points about Cipher and what they had already done.

"I see…" Professor Rowan said slowly. "What about your brief return to Sinnoh, Cynthia? What makes you say that Team Galactic is under Cipher's control?"

"Their Veilstone building. I actually went to see if I could mobilize Team Galactic against Cipher. They had higher security, though, which made me suspicious. I instead asked Lucario to observe the auras throughout the building, and he found that many were Shadow. Some seemed to be of the Carien line. We went by other Galactic buildings, and they were the similar, though admittedly not as bad as Veilstone. That's all I have to go on, honestly. Oh, there's that, and a high Galactic member, Eldes, is very definitely a part of Cipher."

"That is more than enough," N said, quickly and quietly. "We need to begin informing Gym Leaders, then."

"While I agree that the evidence is sufficient," Dawn began, "it will not be as simple as that. Team Galactic is well-trusted by the Gym Leaders and people of Sinnoh, and not without good reason. I, for one, never stopped being suspicious of them."

"That's neither here nor there, Dawn," Professor Rowan interrupted. "But she is correct. We will have a hard time convincing others. I trust you, Cynthia, but, to be frank, wild theorization is one of your more well-known attributes. As for Dawn, while she is for the most part well-respected by the Sinnoh and its Leaders, that she has been consistently been outspoken against Galactic will likely cause them to take her less-than-seriously."

"I'm hearing several problems and no solutions," Triton coolly remarked.

"He's actually right," Wes said, clearly reluctant to say so. "We need to focus on putting together a plan that'll work. Especially considering that more Cipher agents will be on the way."

"More problems…" Triton muttered. Claire said something to him quickly that White didn't overhear, and he just sniffed and was quiet.

"Hmm. This is true," Professor Rowan said. "Remind me: where are all of Galactic's buildings?"

"Veilstone, Eterna, Jubilife, Snowpoint, and Celestic City. In order of age," Triton rattled off.

"Hmm… Near each Lake, and on either side of Mount Coronet. Interesting," Dawn mused. Professor Rowan shook his head, but sighed.

"I doubt that was intentional at the creation of the three most recent, but, if Cipher plans something with Legendaries, then it is most opportune for them," Rowan sighed.

"Okay, I hate to say it, but again with the problems!" White yelled irritably. "Come on, let's focus on a _plan_."

"Why do we not just speak with the Gym Leaders as we have previously?" N asked. "They may require more convincing, but I am sure they will at least listen and give us consideration."

"Most of our words won't carry much weight with them, though," Cheren brought up, to White's annoyance. "I'm also getting the impression that this Team Galactic is most everywhere. If they're reporting to Cipher in the end, just getting around will be hard."

"Okay," White began, making irritated hand motions. "I know it's _easier_ to keep listing our disadvantages, but it's not getting us anywhere. What are we doing?"

"Simple," Dawn finally said. "Galactic buildings are, technically, open to the public. Those the Gym Leaders do not know can investigate them. Cynthia, Professor Rowan, and I will do our best to convince the Gym Leaders."

"That sounds good," N agreed. "But I think we need to avoid arguing. Especially over such small things. Our friendship is what makes us stronger than Cipher."

"Hm. You are the Hero of Ideals, aren't you?" Dawn remarked. White, however, was struck by his words. He was right, and she'd been rather stupidly argumentative.

"You're right," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. "Okay, how're we gonna split up? Five buildings, right? And, what, seven of us who aren't gonna focus on Gym Leaders?"

"Their Veilstone base is particularly dangerous," Cynthia said. "Perhaps two could go to each of the other buildings? I could accompany someone after meeting with the Gym Leader there."

"Groups that small make me nervous," White winced, just as N voiced a very similar concern. They caught each other's eye and smiled momentarily, before turning back to the group.

"I agree," said Cheren. "But at the same time, we can't afford to _not _split up."

"That's true," White sighed. "So, how about groups of four, then? Each takes two bases, then we meet for Veilstone?"

"That sounds like the best possible plan to me," N said with a hopeful smile.

"Agreed," Wes nodded. "Now, what groups are going where? Just saying this now, but I'm not leaving Claire."

"I'll follow them, I think," Triton added, smirking slightly. White frowned, as she had planned not to group the kids together. She considered bringing this up, but quickly decided that it wouldn't be worth an argument with Triton.

"Whelp, I figure I'd better stick with N here," Petrel mumbled to the floor. He looked like he was very uncomfortable around all these people to White.

"Okay then…" White considered. "How about you and me go with them, Cheren? Then you can go with Wes and the kids, Cynthia."

"The _kids_?" Triton snorted. Cheren and Cynthia, however, merely nodded.

"You'd better not go to Snowpoint, if you're cold here," Cynthia chuckled. "We'll take there, and Celestic City. You can head to Jubilife City and Eterna City. They both lack official Gyms, anyway. Jubilife is just due north from here."

"Sounds like we're set then!" White exclaimed.

"Indeed," the Professor nodded. "I'll take care of cities on this side of Coronet, Dawn. Perhaps you could take the east?"

"Certainly," Dawn said, turning toward the door. "Goodbye, every-"

At that moment, however, the door flew open and someone smacked directly into her. He had oddly shaped blond hair (at least, White thought so) and an orange-and-white striped jacket.

"Barry…" Dawn grumbled. "How many times has it been, since you _swore_ you were going to be more careful?"

"Only four!" Barry insisted. "Well, five now, but this is important! You told me to tell you when more of those guys showed up, right? Well they're almost here!"

"How many of them?" asked Dawn, unfazed.

"Erm, I think, ten-ish?"

"Hmm. We should hurry, then. You can come with me, Barry."

"Oh, all right! Cool!" Barry exclaimed, as they hurried outside.

"Can you take Triton, Cynthia?" Wes asked, sending his Gliscor out.

"_I_ can fly myself," Triton sniffed, releasing his Staravia.

"Great then," Wes murmured. "You fly with me, Claire?"

"Um," Claire whispered, frowning. White thought she already knew what she was thinking. "C-can Gliscor support both of us?"

"Well…" Wes frowned also. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'll take her on Braviary, Wes. She'll be safe, I promise," Cynthia assured him.

"All right, we'd better go," Wes said hastily. "Good luck, everyone. Hope this goes all right."

By the time they all got outside, Dawn and Barry were gone. Claire hurried to give White and N a hug. She smiled at Cheren, shaking his awkwardly-extended hand, and nodded somewhat uncomfortably to Petrel. White smiled as she rustled her hair before watching her fly off with Cynthia.

"Okay, let's go," White said, leading onto the back of Archeops as she appeared. N and Cheren did the same with Altaria and Unfezant on either side of her, and Petrel hastily clung to his Crobat. She glanced back at Professor Rowan, beamed her appreciation, and took of to the north, just catching sight of the approaching Cipher agents, and praying they wouldn't give pursuit.


End file.
